^YOFPRIIVC?^ 


<2^a5i 


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lOGICAL  SEVi\ 


BV  312  .BA  1915 

Benson,  Louis  F.  1855-1930 

The  English  hymn 


THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 


LOUIS     F.    BENSON 


HYMNS 

■AND 

Spiritual  Songs* 

laTfee  BOOKS. 

I.  Colieaed  from  the  Scriptures. 

II.  Compos'd  on  Divine  Subjeifts. 

III.  Prepared  for  the  Lord's  Supper. 

With  an  ESSAY 

Towards  tKe  Improvement  of  Chri- 
ftianPfalmody,  bycheUfe.<)f  E- 
vangelical  Hymns  in  Worftup,  as 
well  as  the  PlkUiis  of  Da^id. 


By  I.  WATTS. 


Jhd  they  fung  a  new  Song,  fifyir^^Tlmt  ^rt 

worthy y  8cc.  for  thoit  waft  Jlain  and  baft  re- 

deemed  uSy  &c.  Rev.  $.9. 
SoUtieffent  (i.e.  Chriffhmi)  corwenin.,  cx- 

menque  Chrifto  quafi  Deo  4icere.     Pliniw 

in  Epifi. 


LONDON,       • 
Printed  by  J.  Humfreys,  for  Jolm  Lemrence^ 
at  the  Angel  in  the  Poitltrey.     1707. 


■| 


FACSIMILE    OF    THE    TITLE    PACE    OF    THE    ORIGINAL    EDITION    OF    DOCTOR 

watts'  "hymns" 


THE 

ENGLISH    HYMN 

Its  Development  and 

Use     In     Worship  /s^^ 


By 
LOUIS  F.  BENSON 

D.D.  (Penna.) 


Sto^ 


PHILADELPHIA 

THE  PRESBYTERIAN   BOARD  OF 

PUBLICATION 

1915 


Copyright,  igis,  by 
GEORGE    H.    DORAN   COMPANY 


PREFACE 

It  will  be  a  part  of  our  present  task  to  show  how  rela- 
tively modern  a  practice  the  singing  of  hymns  is  in  the 
Churches  of  our  English  tongue,  and  with  what  struggle 
they  won  their  place.  To  love  hymns  in  eighteenth  century 
Scotland  was  to  be  accused  of  heresy;  in  England  it  was  to 
be  convicted  of  that  worse  thing,  "enthusiasm."  "I  gave 
her  privately  a  crown,"  wrote  Dr.  Johnson  of  a  girl  who 
came  to  the  sacrament  in  a  bed-gown,  "though  I  saw 
Hart's  hymns  in  her  hand."^  What  seemed  memorable 
to  that  kind  heart  was  not  his  act  of  charity,  but  his  having 
surmounted  on  the  occasion  a  churchman's  rooted  prejudice 
against  hymns.  They  bore  the  stamp  of  a  clamorous  dis- 
sent, and  it  took  the  attrition  of  a  protracted  circulation  to 
rub  off  that  mark.  Not  till  after  the  middle  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  did  the  English  Hymn  win  the  general 
esteem  which  Germany  had  given  to  her  hymns  since  the 
Reformation. 

To  our  literary  critics  it  bears  the  mark  of  dissent  still, 
and  they  find  it  irksome  to  give  to  hymns  the  attention  so 
cheerfully  bestowed  on  folk-poetry,  ballads  and  lullabies. 
Remembering  that  Cowper  sometimes  "reaches  the  sim- 
plicity of  greatness,"  says  Dr.  Schelling  in  his  study  of  the 
English  Lyric,^  "we  may  accept  .  .  .  even  the  'Olney 
Hymns,'  though  we  need  not  read  them."  For  Watts, 
whose  noble  hymn,  "Our  God,  our  Help  in  ages  past,"  a 
million  Englishmen  are  singing  with  voices  broken  by  the 
strain  of  war,  and  for  the  Wesley s,  whose  songs  might 
almost  be  said  to  have  deflected  the  current  of  English 
history,  the  most  that  our  critic  is  able  to  do,  as  he  passes 
on  his  singing  way,  is  to  accord  them  "the  respect  that 

^Prayers  and  Meditations,  Easter  day,  1764:  Works  of  Johnson, 
Oxford,  1825,  vol.  ix,  p.  221. 

Telix  E.  Schelling,  The  English  Lyric,  Boston,  1913,  p.  139. 

V 


vi  PREFACE 

honest    devotional    effort    (even    when    versified)     should 
properly  inspire."  ^ 

We  also,  as  best  we  may,  shall  have  to  consider  in  its 
natural  historical  connections  the  question  of  the  relations 
to  literature  of  an  English  Hymnody  that  has  proved  so 
virile.  Indeed,  the  literature  of  power,  whether  a  Wesley's 
for  the  upbuilding  of  a  Kingdom  or  a  Kipling's  for  the 
buttressing  of  an  empire,  is  ever  an  unchartered  libertine. 
It  will  sometimes  preach,  while  it  pretends  to  sing,  and 
even  tread  on  a  critical  canon  or  two  as  it  hews  its  way  to 
men's  hearts. 

Just  now  we  are  not  defending  hymns  but  alleging  the 
circumstances  making  it  inevitable  that  anything  in  the 
line  of  a  serious  study  of  the  English  Hymn  should  be  so 
long  deferred,  and  that  our  English  Hymnology  should  lag 
so  far  behind  the  German.  Daniel  Sedgwick,  a  self-taught 
second-hand  bookseller  of  London  (1814-1879),  was  ac- 
tually the  first  collector  of  the  hymn  books,  and  to  his  little 
shop  in  Sun-street,  Bishopsgate,  used  to  resort  so  many  of 
the  editors  as  cared  enough  for  the  hymns  they  were  han- 
dling to  inquire  into  their  authorship  and  text.  And  yet  in 
a  scientific  age  the  collection  and  study  of  old  psalm  and 
hymn  books,  which  are  the  remains  and  record  of  the 
spiritual  life  of  contemporaneous  Christians,  would  seem 
just  as  rational  as  the  collection  and  classification  of  fossil 
shells,  which  are  the  remains  and  record  of  the  animal  life 
of  contemporaneous  mollusca.  "Really  it  has  awakened," 
wrote  a  reader  of  one  of  the  ensuing  chapters,  "the  sus- 
picion that  there  is  no  better  point  of  view  from  which  to 
study  the  development  and  the  reactions  of  Christian  belief 
than  that  offered  by  Hymnody.  This  is  not  strange;  for 
after  all  beliefs  of  the  first  rate  in  influence  receive  and,  I 
have  the  impression,  always  have  received  their  best  and 
final  embodiment  in  poetry  and  especially  lyric  poetry." 

Once  begun  the  serious  study  of  English  Hymns  has 
proceeded  rapidly  enough.     In  the  eighth  edition  of  the 

^Ibid.,  p.  136. 


PREFACE 


Vll 


Encyclopedia  Britannica  the  whole  subject  of  Hymns  cov- 
ered only  two  pages,  which  in  the  ninth  edition  expanded 
to  eighteen.  And  by  1892  a  considerable  company  of 
investigators  made  possible  the  publication  of  Dr.  John 
Julian's  A  Dictionary  of  Hymnology;  since  when  the  sources 
and  history  of  most  of  our  hymns  (though  not  their  text) 
have  been  rescued  from  what  in  many  cases  was  a  very 
teasing  obscurity. 

In  recognition  of  the  new  study,  and  with  a  venturous 
hope  of  contributing  to  its  advancement.  The  Faculty  of 
The  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton  in  1903  invited  the 
present  writer  to  deliver  a  course  of  lectures  on  the  L.  P. 
Stone  Foundation  upon  a  subject  connected  with  Hymnol- 
ogy. He  decided,  with  their  approval,  to  go  back  to  the 
very  beginnings  of  Congregational  Song  in  that  branch  of 
the  Church  with  which  the  Seminary  is  allied,  and  to  trace 
the  origins,  development  and  decline  of  the  practice  of 
singing  metrical  Psalm  versions  which  became  the  charac- 
teristic feature  of  worship  in  the  Reformed  Churches  of 
various  tongues.  The  lectures,  were  delivered  in  February, 
1907,  under  the  title,  "The  Psalmody  of  the  Reformed 
Churches."  ^ 

Soon  afterward  an  invitation  came  for  a  second  course 
of  lectures.  And  it  seemed  natural  to  resume  the  history 
of  Congregational  Song  at  the  point  where  the  former 
course  had  left  it,  and  to  take  up  the  subsequent  or  hymn 
singing  period  in  the  Churches  that  most  concern  us,  those 
that  speak  our  English  tongue.  The  second  course  was 
delivered  in  February,  1910,  under  the  title,  "The  Hymnody 
of  the  English-speaking  Churches."  This  second  course 
of  lectures  was  reconstructed  and  rewritten  to  a  larger  scale, 
and  printed  in  The  Princeton  Theological  Review  in  the 
July  number  of  19 10  and  during  the  years  191 2- 191 4.  Once 
more  revised  and  partly  rewritten  in  the  unending  struggle 

'Of  these  the  first,  upon  the  Psalmody  of  the  Calvinistic  Reforma- 
tion, was  printed  with  additions  in  The  Journal  of  The  Presbyterian 
Historical  Society  for  March,  June,  and  September,  1909. 


viii  PREFACE 

after  accuracy,  expanded  and  rounded  out  in  an  attempt 
to  cover  the  entire  field,  they  form  the  contents  of  the 
present  volume. 

The  change  in  the  title  of  the  book  from  that  of  the 
lectures  is  made  for  the  sake  of  lucidity.  It  implies  no 
change  in  the  theme,  the  point  of  view,  or  the  method  of 
treatment;  and  it  is  as  well  that  these  should  be  set  forth 
as  clearly  as  may  be.  There  are  of  course  more  ways  than 
one  of  treating  the  English  Hymn  historically.  The  most 
obvious  is  to  take  up  the  writers  of  hymns  chronologically, 
to  group  them  in  periods,  and  to  treat  their  lives  and  writ- 
ings consecutively.  This  is  to  deal  with  Hymnody  as  a 
minor  branch  of  lyrical  poetry,  and  to  apply  to  it  the 
familiar  method  of  the  "Manual  of  English  Literature." 
The  method  is  handy  and  gives  us  a  conspectus  of  hymn 
writing  that  for  some  purposes  is  useful.  Nevertheless  the 
fact  that  most  hymn  writers  are  studiously  ignored  in  the 
manuals  of  English  Literature  themselves  seems  to  suggest 
either  that  the  theme  is  a  very  insignificant  one  or  else  that 
something  is  wanting  in  the  manner  of  its  presentation. 

The  truth  is  that  if  the  methods  of  the  literary  historian 
are  not  misapplied  to  Hymnody,  they  are  at  least  inade- 
quate. A  hymn  may  or  may  not  happen  to  be  literature ; 
in  any  case  it  is  something  more.  Its  sphere,  its  motive, 
its  canons  and  its  use  are  different.  It  belongs  with  the 
things  of  the  spirit,  in  the  sphere  of  religious  experience 
and  communion  with  God.  Its  special  sphere  is  worship, 
and  its  fundamental  relations  are  not  literary  but  liturgical. 
Of  all  definitions  of  the  Hymn  that  which  claims  least 
for  it  best  defines  it: — it  is  liturgical  verse.  In  the  daily 
service  book  of  the  old  Latin  Church  the  Hymniis  was  the 
versified  part  of  the  Divine  Office,  and  our  democratic  ideals 
of  worship  have  changed  neither  its  definition^  nor  function. 

°To  apply  the  word  Hymn  to  some  strangely  interlaced  passages  of 
rhythmical  prose  in  the  service  books  of  the  Greek  Church,  and  to 
the  prose  Te  Deum  and  canticles  of  the  English  Prayer  Book,  is 
convenient  but  need  not  be  misleading.  We  speak  of  the  "prose  poems" 
of  a  Carlyle  w^ithout  affecting  the  definition  of  poetry. 


PREFACE  ix 

The  English  Hymn  gains  its  historical  significance  and  its 
present  importance  from  its  inclusion  in  the  hymnal  that  is 
put  into  the  hands  of  the  people  as  the  authorized  vehicle  of 
their  common  praise  in  our  Protestant  Churches.  And  the 
whole  body  of  hymns  that  have  been  or  are  so  included 
constitutes  "The  Hymnody  of  the  English-speaking 
Churches." 

This  point  of  view  is  sedulously  maintained  in  the 
present  book,  and  determines  its  method.  Hymnody  is 
regarded  as  the  later  phase  of  Protestant  Church  Song. 
We  shall  endeavor  to  show  how  far  the  Hymn  was  from 
the  mind  of  Churches  given  over  to  the  custom  of  psalm 
singing,  and  how  as  that  mind  was  turning  toward  hymns, 
they  began  to  shape  themselves  out  of  devotional  poetry 
on  the  one  hand  and  metrical  psalms  on  the  other;  how 
one  strong  will  took  control  of  the  situation,  fixed  the 
definite  type  of  the  English  Hymn,  and  engineered  a  move- 
ment to  introduce  it  into  public  worship.  We  shall  follow 
the  fortunes  of  this  movement  and  also  study  the  develop- 
ment of  the  Hymn  itself,  as  with  succeeding  generations 
fresh  minds  came  to  deal  with  it  and  new  religious  and 
literary  forces  and  influences  successively  played  upon  it. 

Our  special  concern  is  to  follow  down  the  main  stream 
of  Hymnody  and  of  hymn  singing  from  its  springs  to  its 
present  fulness.  But  no  by-stream  of  Hymnody  has  been 
consciously  neglected.  Some  of  these  denominational 
hymnodies  are  no  more  than  canals  cut  to  carry  the  waters 
of  the  main  stream  to  a  new  territory,  but  others  are  inlets 
through  which  new  springs  enrich  the  main  current.  In 
any  case  they  are  of  interest  to  the  dwellers  along  their 
shores ;  and  we  have  set  up  sign-boards  at  the  various  points 
of  junction  so  that  readers  intent  to  follow  the  main  stream 
need  not  be  diverted. 

It  will  be  evident  that  for  the  purposes  of  such  a  study 
the  hymn  books  in  actual  use  in  the  different  Churches  at 
various  times  become  our  principal  sources,  and  that  they, 
with  the  proceedings  of   the  authoritative   bodies   in   the 


X  PREFACE 

several  denominations  and  the  lives  and  works  of  the  hymn 
writers,  constitute  the  materials  which  we  have  to  handle. 
The  recovery  of,  these  materials,  notably  of  the  hymn 
books,  from  the  litter  of  the  past  is  no  light  task;  and  it  is 
only  after  twenty-five  years  of  assiduous  collecting  that 
the  present  writer  has  ventured  to  bring  his  studies  to  so 
much  of  a  conclusion  as  is  here  attained.  He  can  at  least 
aver  that  he  has  dealt  with  his  sources  at  first  hand. 

With  this  understanding  of  the  importance  attached  to 
hymn  books,  it  will  seem  natural  that  the  full  titles  of  so 
many  of  them  should  be  run  into  the  text  as  a  part  of  the 
narrative  rather  than  relegated  to  a  "bibliography."  It  may 
be  that  these,  together  with  an  abundance  of  foot-notes,  ap- 
pear to  be  so  many  snags  in  the  course  of  fluent  reading. 
But  to  an  inquiring  mind  foot-notes  are  likely  to  prove  the 
better  part  of  a  book;  and  even  the  gentle  reader  should 
learn  to  accept  them  as  a  pledge  of  good  faith.  Many  books 
would  never  have  been  printed  had  their  authors  felt  obliged 
to  disclose  their  sources  and  authorities.  It  might  too  be 
urged  that  foot-notes,  used  judiciously,  serve  to  relieve  the 
narrative  from  an  ever  impending  dulness;  and  dulness  is 
a  fault  which  author  and  reader  might  well  conspire  to  be 
rid  of  at  any  cost  save  the  sacrifice  of  precision:  for  in- 
accuracy is  more  than  a  fault,  it  is  a  sin. 

If  the  writer  were  more  confident  of  having  pursued  a 
way,  in  part  untrodden,  in  the  spirit  of  wholesome  scholar- 
ship, he  would  have  liked  to  dedicate  his  book  to  the 
reverend  and  learned  Faculty  of  The  Theological  Seminary 
at  Princeton,  whose  sympathy  and  encouragement  helped 
toward  its  undertaking  and  have  acted  as  a  spur  to  its 
completion. 

March,  ipi5. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I 
THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

PAGE 

I.  Introductory:  Psalmody  and  Hymnody 19 

1.  Early  Religious  Lyrics  in  English 19 

2.  Congregational  Song  as  a  Church  Ordinance 20 

3.  Psalmody  and  Hymnody  as  Rival  Systems  of  Congrega- 

tional Song 21 

4.  The  English-speaking  Peoples  become  Psalm  Singers ....     25 

II.  The  Hymns  appended  to  the  Metrical  Psalters  (1561-1635) 

NOT  the  Nucleus  of  an  English  Hymnody 26 

1.  The  Hymns  Appended  to  the  English  Psalter 27 

2.  The  Hymns  Appended  to  the  Scottish  Psalter 32 

III.  The  Promise  of  an  English  Hymnody  by  Translating  the 

OLD  Latin  Church  Hymns  (1538-1559)  fails 37 

IV.  The  Evolution  of  the  English  Hymn  from  the  Metrical 

Psalm 45 

(i)  By  way  of  improving  its  literary  character 46 

(2)  By  accommodating  its  contents  to  present  circumstances .  51 

(3)  By  extending  the  principle  of  Paraphrase  to  other  parts 

of  the  Bible 55 

V.  The  Evolution  of  the  English  Hymn  from  Devotional 

Poetry 63 

1.  Lack  of  the  Hymnic  Motive  in  pre-Restoration  Poets, 

except  Wither 63 

2.  The  new  Hymn  Writing  (1664-1693):  the  Predecessors  of 

Watts 68 

CHAPTER  II 

THE  LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS 

I.  The  Denominational  Divisions  of  Church  Song  at  the 

Restoration  (1660) 73 

II.  John  Playford  leads   a  movement  to  introduce  Hymn 

Singing  in  the  Reestablished  Church  (1671-1708)..     75 

III.  Richard  Baxter  leads  a  movement  to  introduce  Hymns     _^^ 

among  the  Ejected  Presbyterians  (1661-1708) (82} 

IV.  The  Attitude  of  the  Separatists 91 

1.  The  General  Baptists  oppose  "Promiscuous  Singing".  ...     91 

2.  The  Society  of  Friends  excludes  "Conjoint  Singing" 94 

xi 


xii  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

3.  Benjamin  Keach  introduces  Hymns  among  the  Particular 

Baptists 96 

4.  The  Independents  join  with  the  Presbyterians  in  intro- 

ducing Hymns loi 

CHAPTER  HI 
DOCTOR  WATTS'  "RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY" 
I.  His  Proposal  of  an  Evangelical  "System  of  Praise"  (1707).  108 
II.  His  Fulfilment:  "Watts's  Psalms  and  Hymns" 113 

III.  His  Success:  The  Era  of  Watts 122 

I.  In  England 122 

1.  He  dominates  the  worship  of  the  Independents.  .  .    122 

2.  His  ascendency  over  the  Presbyterians  terminates  in 

a  Unitarian  Hymnody 130 

3.  His  ascendency  over  the  Baptists  leads  up  to  a 

Homiletical  Hymnody 142 

II.  In  Scotland 147 

1.  His  Influence :  the  "Translations  and  Paraphrases" 

(1745-1781) 147 

2.  Early  Scottish  Hymn  Singing 154 

CHAPTER  IV 
DR.  WATTS'  "RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  (Continued) 

IV.  His  Success:  The  Era  of  Watts  in  America 161 

I.   The  Congregationalists  (1735-1834) 161 

1.  The  Great  Awakening  turns  the  Churches  to  his 

Evangelical  "System  of  Praise" 161 

2.  An  American  School  of  Church  Music 169 

3.  The   Liberals  compile    "Non-Trinitarian"    Hymn 

Books  (1753-1823) 172 

II.   The  Presbyterians  (1739-1827) 177 

1.  "New  Side"  Churches  venture  to  sing  Watts'  "Im- 

itations"      177 

2.  The  Great  "Psalmody  Controversy" 186 

3.  Hymn  Singing  under  the  new   (1788)    "Directory 

for  Worship" 191 

III.  The  Baptists  (1754-1827) 196 

1.  Their  gradual  Adoption  of  Watts'    "Psalms  and 

Hymns" 196 

2.  Obstacles  to  Watts'  Ascendency 198 

(i)  Their  desire  for  denominational  Hynm  Books  198 
(2)  Their  predilection  for  "Spiritual  Songs".  .  .      201 

V.  His  Influence  upon  the  English  Hymn 205 

He  was  not  "the  Inventor  of  Hymns  in  our  Language".  . .  .   205 


CONTENTS  xili 

PAGE 

But  established  a  definite  type  of  Congregational  Hymn ....   207 

Its  sphere — the  Common  Ground  of  Experience 207 

Its  form — evolved  from  the  Metrical  Psalm 207 

Its  content — not  the  paraphrase  of  Scripture  but  an  evan- 
gelical response  to  it 208 

VI.  His  Influence  upon  Hymn  Writing:  the  School  of  Watts  210 

VII.  His  Influence  upon  Hymn  Singing 216 

He  led  in  the  establishment  of  Congregational  Hymn  Sing- 
ing in  the  stead  of  Psalm  Singing 216 

/  CHAPTER  V 

''    THE  HYMNODY  OF  THE  METHODIST  REVIVAL 

--  I.  Its  Antecedents  and  Beginnings  (1721-1738) 219  ' 

-  -  I.  John  Wesley  aims  to  uplift  Parochial  Psalmody 219  ■     %/i^  ^ 

2.  The  Moravians  reveal  to  him  the  spiritual  potentiality 

of  the  Hymn 223 

3.  He  makes  Hymn  Books  as  a  missionary,  and  as  an  asso- 

ciate of  Moravians 225 

si  II.  The  Methodist  Hymnody  (i  739-1904) 228 

1.  The  "Movement,"  and  Charles  Wesley  as  its  Poet 228 

2.  Hymn  Books  for  "The  People  called  Methodists" 235 

III.  The  Methodist  Singing 239 

1.  John  Wesley  as  Music-master 239 

2.  The  new  Type  of  Congregational  Song 241 

■^  IV.  The  Part  of  the  Wesleys  in  the  Development  of  the 

English  Hymn 244 

1.  Their  great  enrichment  of  Hymnody:  by  writing,  trans- 

lating, and  editing 244 

2.  Their  Modification  of  the  Ideal  of  the  Hymn 247 

(1)  The  Evangelistic  Hymn T^AT^) 

(2)  The  fervid  Hymn  of  Individual  Experience ^^2^ 

(3)  The  Churchly  Hymn 251 

(4)  The  new  Poetic  Standard  of  Hymnody 252 

V.  The  Wesleyan  Hymns  in  the  Church  at  Large 255 

The  fervid  Hymn  singing  does  not  spread  into  the  Churches.  256 

Obstacles  to  the  Diffusion  of  the  Hymns 256 

(i)  The  body  of  the  Hymns  ill-adapted  to  general  use.  .  .   257 
(2)  The   "Reproach  of  Methodism"   precludes  a  general 

knowledge  of  them 257 

/  CHAPTER  VI 

*  THE  HYMNODY  OF  THE  METHODIST  REVIVAL  (Continued) 

VI.  The  Moravian  Hymnody 262 

I.  After  the  Breach  with  Wesley  the  Moravians  develop  an 

eccentric  Hymnody  (1741-1754) 262 


xiv  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

2.  Wesley  repudiates  it  (1749) 267 

3.  The  Normal  Period  of  Moravian  Hymnody  (1789-1901).   270 

VII.  Deflexions  of  Methodist  Song  after  Wesley's  Death.  .  .  274 

(i)  The  Methodist  New  Connexion  (1796) 275 

(2)  Primitive  Methodists  (1809) 275 

(3)  United  Methodist  Free  Churches  (1827) 278 

(4)  Bible  Christians  (1819) 279 

VIII.  The  Hymnody  of  American  Methodism 280 

1.  Wesley's  effort  to  control  it  (1784) 280 

2.  The  Struggle  between  "Mr.  Wesley's  Hymns"  and  Pop- 

ular Songs  (1784-1848) 285 

3.  A  New  Type:  The  Camp  Meeting  Hymn  (1800)  (Chris- 

tians and  Cumberland  Presbyterians) 291 

4.  Efforts    to    reinstate    and    to    modernize    the    Wesleyan 

Hymnody  (1847-1905) 298 

IX.  Diverging  Currents  of  American  Methodist  Hymnody.  . .  305 

(i)  The  Reformed  Methodist  Church  (18 14) 305 

(2)  The  Methodist  Society  (1820) 306 

(3)  The  African  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (18 18) 306 

(4)  Methodist  Protestants  (1830) 307 

(5)  Wesleyan  Methodists  and  Free  Methodists  (1843) 310 

(6)  Review  of  American  Methodist  Hymnody 310 

Appendix — (7)  The  United  Brethren  in  Christ  (1826- 1890)  312 

(8)  The  Evangelical  Association  (1834-1877)  314 

\  CHAPTER  VII 

■■  THE  HYMNODY  OF  THE  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL 

^  I.  In  Whitefield's  Circle  (i74i-i;7o) 315 

II.  In  Lady  Huntingdon's  Connexion  (1764-1865) 319 

III.  Some  By-Streams  of  the  Hymnody  (1748-1808) 325 

IV.  In  the  Church  of  England  (1760-1819) 328 

1.  Introduction  of  Hymn  Singing  by  the  early  Evangelicals 

(1760-1776) 328 

2.  "Olney  Hymns"  (1779)  fills  out  the  Type  of  the  Evan- 

gelical Hymn 336 

3.  Movements  to  introduce  Hymns  in  the  main  body  of  the 

Church  (1724-1816) 340 

(1)  The  Stand-fasts 340 

(2)  The  less  extreme  Conservatives 341 

(3)  Hymn  Books  for  private  use 342 

(4)  Hymn  Books  of  the  London  Charities 343 

(5)  Hymns  within  the  covers  of  the  Prayer  Book 345 

4.  The   Period   of   Compromise:    "Psalms  and   Hymns"   in 

Parish  Churches  (1785-1819) 349 


CONTENTS  XV 

CHAPTER  VIII 
-   THE  EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA 

PAGE 

I.  Its  adoption  delayed  by  various  causes 358 

II.  Its  use  by  the  Baptists 361 

1.  Its  early  welcome  among  Regular  Baptists  (1790-1850).  .  361 

2.  Diverging  currents  of  Baptist  Hymnody 366 

(i)  Freewill  Baptists  (1797) 366 

(2)  The  Dunkers  (1791) 367 

(3)  The  Mennonites 368 

(4)  The  Church  of  God  (1825) 369 

(5)  The  Disciples  of  Christ  (1827) 370 

III.  Making  its  way  into  Congregational  and  Presbyterian 

Churches 372 

1.  The  Era  of  Revival  (1790-1832):  "Village  Hymns" 372 

2.  The    Era    of    Compromise    (1828-1857):    "Psahns    and 

Hymns" 380 

(i)  Presbyterian  Psalms  and  Hymns  (1831) 380 

(2)  Old  school  Psalms  and  Hymns  (1843) 382 

(3)  New  school  Psalms  and  Hymns  (1843) 383 

(4)  Presbyterian  Hymnody  in  the  '40's 386 

(5)  Congregationalist  Psalms  and  Hymns  (1836-1845).  388 

IV.  Hymn  Singing  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 390 

1.  The  Beginning  of  Hymn  Singing  (1786) 390 

2.  The  Evangelical  Period  (1789-1858) 396 

V.  English  Hymns  IN  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  (1767- 1 868)  402 

VI.  English  Hymns  in  the  German  Reformed  Church  (1800- 

858) 408 

VII.  English  Hymns  in  the  Lutheran  Church  (1756-1859) 410 

VIII.  Diverse  Currents  of  Hymnody 420 

1.  Early  Universalist  Hymns  (1776-1849) 421 

2.  Swedenborgian  Hymnody  (1792- 1830) 426 

3.  "Shaker  Music"  (1774-1893) 427 

4.  Adventist  Hymns  (1843-1887) 428 

5.  Mormon  Hymns  (1830-1891) 431 

CHAPTER  IX 

-THE  HYMNODY  OP  THE  ROMANTIC  MOVEMENT 

I.  The  Literary  Hymn 435 

II.  Reginald  Heber's  Romantic  Hymnal  (1827) 437 

III.  The  Literary  Movement  in  England 443 

I.  In  the  Church  of  England 443 

1.  It  is  overshadowed  by  the  Liturgical  Movement.  .  .  443 

2.  A  later  Literary  School    (1862-1899) 446 


xvi  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

II.  James  Martineau  provides  Unitarians  with  a  "Poetry 

of  pure  Devotion"  (1840) 449 

III.  The  Baptists  cHng  to  a  Homiletical  Hymnody  (1827- 

1879) 451 

IV.  The  Enrichment  of  Congregationahst  Hymnody 453 

1.  The  Ministers  of  Leeds  break  the  Watts  tradition 

(1853) 453 

2.  The  Rivulet  Controversy  (1856) 454 

3.  The   Advance   toward    Heber's   Ideal:     Loss   and 

Gain  (1859-1887) 456 

IV.  The  Literary  Movement  in  America 460 

I.  "Songs  of  the  Liberal  Faith" 460 

1.  A  notable  series  of  Hymn  Books  (i 830-1 864).  .  .  .   460 

2.  Unitarian  Hymnody  (1830-1864) 468 

3.  Modern  Tendencies  (1861-1894) 47o 

II.  The  Enrichment  of  Congregationalist  and  Pres- 
byterian Hymnody  is  left  to  private  enterprise  .  473 

1.  Henry  Ward  Beecher  leads  the  movement  for  Con- 

gregational Singing  (1851) 473 

2.  The  Enrichment  of  Hymnody  for  Homiletical  Ends 

(1855-1858) 474 

3.  The  New  Type  of  Church  Hymnal  (1855) 477 

4.  Dr.  Robinson's  popular  Hymnals  (1862-1875).  .  .  .  478 
III.  Other  Denominations  follow  the  Unitarian  Lead.  480 

1.  "The  Christian  Hymn  Book"  (1863) 480 

2.  The  new  Universalist  Hymnody  (1846- 1895) 481 

vl   V.  The  Offset:  The  "Gospel  Hymn"  (1851  to  date) 482 

CHAPTER  X 
THE  HYMNODY  OF  THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL 

I.  It  dominates  the  Church  of  England 493 

1.  The    Movement    to    restore    the     "primitive"     Church 
Hymnody  (1833) 493 

2.  The  Result:  the  Liturgical  Hymn 497 

3.  Early  Tractarian  Hymnals:  John  Mason   Neale   (1836- 
1858) 500 

4.  The  Emergence  of  "Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern"  (1861)  506 

5.  The  AngHcan  Hymnody  and  Church  Music 514 

II.  Oxford  Influences  on  the  Hymnody  of  English  Dissent.  .  522 

1.  Liturgical  Ideals  in  Congregationalist  and  Baptist  Wor- 
ship (1861-1900) 522 

2.  The  Presbyterians  enrich  Anglican  Music  (1866) 525 

3.  Catholic  Apostolic  Hymnody  (1864) 528 

4.  Swedenborgian  Hymnody  (1790- 1880) 529 


CONTENTS  xvii 

PAGE 

III.  Oxford   Influences   in   Scotland   and   Ireland:   Presby- 

terian Hymn  Singing 530 

1.  The  Changes  in  United  Presbyterian  Hymnody( 1 848- 1 877)  530 

2.  The  Hymnody  of  the  Kirk   falls  into  the  hands  .of  the 

Liturgical  Party  (1845-1885) 531 

3.  The  Free  Church  remodels  its  Hymn  Book    (1882) 536 

4.  Scottish  Hymn  Writing 537 

5.  Unauthorized  Hymn  Singing  by  Irish  Presbyterians  (1830- 

1894) 539 

6.  The  movement  for  a  Common  Hymnal  yields  to  Oxford 

Influences  (1870-1898) 540 

IV.  Oxford  Influences  on  American  Hymnody 543 

1.  The  Appeal  of  the  Latin  Hyirm  (1840-1861) 543 

2.  Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 

Church  (1859-1892) 544 

3.  The    Liturgical    Controversy   in   the    German   Reformed 

Church  (1857) 548 

4.  The  new  Reformed  Dutch  Hymnody  (i  868-1 891) 550 

5.  Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern  in  the  Presbyterian  Church 

(186^1895) 551 

6.  A  new  type  of  Congregationalist  Hymnal  (1887-1893) .  .  .   557 

7.  The  Baptists  maintain  the  Homiletical  Type  till  the  Cen- 

tury's End 558 

8.  The  Lutherans  develop  a  churchly  Hymnody  (1863-1899).  560 

9.  Anglican  Hymnody  accommodated  to  the  "New  Church" 

(1863-1911) 563 

CHAPTER  XI 
TWENTIETH  CENTURY  HYMNODY 

I.  The  Influences  that  have  moulded  it 565 

II.  How  far  affected  by  modern  evangelism 567 

III.  Its  more  exacting  literary  standard 567 

IV.  Its  reversion  to  a  motive  more  strictly  devotional 570 

V.  Its  Theology 574 

1 .  Changing  religious  thought  makes  this  a  Period  of  Revision.  574 

2.  The  New  Theology  demands  a  new  Hymnody 578 

VI.  The  Hymnody  of  Social  Democracy 584 


Index 59^ 


CHAPTER  I 
THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

I 

INTRODUCTORY:    PSALMODY   AND   HYMNODY 

I.     Early  Religious  Lyrics  in  English 

There  were  English  hymns  long  before  the  Reforma- 
tion. Carol  singing  was  brought  over  from  France  at  a 
very  early  date,  and  by  the  Xlllth  century  the  Norman 
carols  began  to  give  way  to  those  in  English,  often  retain- 
ing the  French  refrain,  and  introducing  Latin  lines  taken 
mostly  from  the  church  service.  The  Carol  was  devoted 
especially  to  rehearsing  the  events  of  the  Nativity,  but  it 
passed  into  spiritual  lullabies  and  the  Complaint  of  Mary, 
or  of  Christ,  on  the  one  hand,  and  into  secular  songs  of 
the  feasts  and  sports  of  Yule-tide  on  the  other.  Not  carols 
only  but  a  variety  of  religious  and  ethical  songs  mingled 
freely  with  those  of  an  amorous  or  convivial  or  humorous 
sort,  sung  in  the  markets,  ale-houses  and  halls,  and  through 
the  country  side,  by  the  wandering  minstrels,  themselves 
often  in  minor  orders  of  the  Church.  Beside  these  were 
the  less  homely  hymns  to  Christ  and  the  Virgin,  and  more 
or  less  mystical  devotional  verses,  such  as  were  written  in 
the  monasteries. 

These  early  effusions  must  be  classed  as  hymns,  in  our 
familiar  use  of  that  word  to  designate  religious  lyrics.  But 
hymns,  in  the  stricter  sense  of  "church  song"  or  "liturgical 
verse,"  they  were  not  in  fact  or  in  the  minds  of  the  clerks 
who  composed  them;  to  whom  a  "Hymn"  meant  the  stanzas 
appointed  to  be  read  or  sung  in  the  Office  for  the  day,  of 
course  in  the  Latin  language.  The  early  religious  lyrics 
19 


20  THE    ENGLISH    HYMN 

have  a  very  real  interest  of  their  own,  and  are  doubtless 
worthy  of  more  attention  than  they  have  as  yet  received.^ 
But  their  connection  with  the  English  Hymnody  after- 
wards to  be  developed  as  the  Church  Song  of  Protestantism 
is  of  the  slightest.  They  did  not  furnish  a  foundation  for 
that  Hymnody  or  give  any  promise  of  its  coming.  The 
nearest  approach  to  a  bond  of  connection  is  found  in  the 
Christmas  Carol,  which  before  the  Reformation  was 
allowed  to  be  sung  in  parish  churches  in  conjunction  with 
Christmas  festivities,  and  which,  rather  by  revival  than 
survival,  is  making  its  way  into  Protestant  Church 
Hymnody. 

But  between  this  modern  Church  Hymnody  and  the  old 
religious  English  lyrics  lies  the  deep  chasm  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, with  its  breach  in  church  order,  and  the  fresh  start  on 
the  Protestant  side,  under  democratic  ideals  of  worship,  of 
a  people  singing  songs  in  their  own  tongue.  The  Latin 
Hymn  sung  by  the  choir  is  the  expression  of  the  old  order 
and  ideals;  the  Congregational  Hymn  sung  by  the  people 
in  the  vernacular  is  equally  typical  of  the  new. 

2.     Congregational  Song  as  a  Church  Ordinance 

The  Congregational  Hymn  is  thus  distinctively  the  child 
of  the  Reformation,  and  indeed  its  paternity  is  quite  com- 
monly ascribed  to  Luther  himself.  Such  ascription  is  not 
in  accordance  with  the  facts.  The  singing  of  religious  songs 
by  the  people  began  to  play  its  part  in  different  localities 
on  the  continent  of  Europe,  with  the  first  stirring  of  the 
new  life  in  the  Western  Church  that  culminated  in  the 
Reformation  of  the  XVIth  century.     With  the  gathering 

'Prof.  F.  M.  Padelford's  chapter  on  "Transition  English  Song  Col- 
lections" in  The  Cambridge  History  of  English  Literature,  vol.  ii, 
1908,  was  something  of  a  novelty  in  such  a  connection.  The  appended 
bibliography  includes  many  of  the  printed  sources  of  the  songs.  For 
the  Carol,  see  Edmondstoune  Duncan,  The  Story  of  the  Carol,  London, 
191 1 ;  and  Thos.  Helmore  in  Julian's  Dictionary  of  Hymnology,  Lon- 
don, 2nd  ed.,  1907,  art.  "Carols,"  and  supplement,  p.  1619, 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      21 

of  the  followers  of  John  Hus  in  Bohemia  into  congrega- 
tions, popular  song  becomes  definitely  Congregational  Song, 
A  vernacular  Hymnody  of  considerable  proportions  was 
created  by  the  Hussites,  and  provided  with  suitable  melodies. 
These  hymns  and  tunes  were  embodied  in  books  designed 
for  the  worshippers'  hands  rather  than  for  the  choir.  Thus 
the  congregational  hymn-book  of  the  modern  type  had  its 
origin,  and  congregational  singing  of  hymns  took  its  place 
as  a  recognized  part  of  the  new  kind  of  worship. ^ 

The  foundations  of  Congregational  Song  as  a  church 
ordinance  were  therefore  laid  before  the  beginnings  of  the 
Reformation  in  Germany  under  Luther  and  in  Switzerland 
under  Calvin.  Congregational  Song  must  be  regarded  as  the 
liturgical  expression  of  principles  common  to  Protestantism, 
that  were  embodied  in  Lutheranism  and  Calvinism  alike. 
It  is  of  course  true  that  Congregational  Song  received  a 
great  impulse  and  development  from  Luther's  hands,  and 
that  his  work  in  establishing  it  claims  the  priority  over 
Calvin's,  upon  whom  Luther's  success  doubtless  exercised 
marked  influence.  But  Congregational  Song  cannot  be 
rightly  regarded  as  the  distinctive  possession  of  either  sys- 
tem, nor  can  it  be  fairly  claimed  that  the  one  reformer 
showed  more  zeal  in  establishing  it  than  the  other. 

3.     Psalmody  and  Hymnody  as  Rival  Systems  of 
Congregational  Song 

We  have  now  to  note  and  to  explain  the  fact  that  while 
congregational  singing  was  as  much  a  feature  of  the  new 
Protestantism  in  England  and  Scotland  as  in  Germany,  it 
nevertheless  happened  that  German  Protestantism  proceeded 
at  once  to  develop  a  rich  German  Hymnody,  whereas  there 
was  no  English  Hymnody  in  any  effective  sense  until  the 

'The  earliest  recorded  hymn  book  of  the  Bohemian  Brethren  bears 
the  date  1505.  For  their  Hymnody  see  Edmund  de  Schweinitz,  The 
History  of  the  Church  known  as  The  Unitas  Fratrum,  2nd  ed.,  Beth- 
lehem, Pa.,  1901 ;  and  J.  T.  Mueller  in  Julian's  Dictionary  of  Hymnol- 
ogy,  art.  "Bohemian  Hymnody." 


22  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

XVnith  century.  It  happened  so  in  brief  because  the 
Churches  in  England  and  Scotland  in  arranging  for  the 
participation  of  the  people  in  the  service  of  praise,  adopted 
the  model  set  up  by  Calvin  in  Geneva  as  over  against  that 
set  up  by  Luther.  The  practical  effect  of  this  was,  in  a 
word,  that  both  the  English  and  Scottish  Churches  became 
psalm  singers  as  distinguished  from  hymn  singers.  The 
Metrical  Psalm  was  thus  the  substitute  for  the  Hymn  in 
England  and  Scotland,  and  became  the  effective  obstacle  to 
the  production  and  use  of  English  hymns. 

To  understand  the  ground  of  this  supremacy  of  the 
Psalm,  and  the  suppression  of  the  Hymn  involved  in  it,  we 
must  go  back  to  the  minds  of  the  two  great  leaders  of  the 
Reformation,  antagonistic  as  they  were  in  temperament  and 
taste  and  divided  in  many  matters  of  principle.  Their 
diverse  points  of  view  are  nowhere  more  conspicuous  than 
in  their  conceptions  of  Protestant  worship ;  and  among  other 
issues  thus  raised  was  one  regarded  by  each  as  of  great 
impractical  importance, — What  shall  the  people  be  permitted 
and  encouraged  to  sing  in  public  worship  ? 
/  In  reconstructing  the  musical  side  of  church  worship  two 
/proclivities  of  his  own  strongly  influenced  Luther.  One" 
was  his  love  for  the  old  German  folk-song,  for  social  sing- 
ing and  for  the  music  of  the  household  and  family.  The 
other  was  his  affectionate  regard  for  the  ritual  of  the  old 
Church,  especially  the  Latin  hymns  which  for  many  cen- 
turies had  made  a  part  of  the  Daily  Office.  The  utility 
of  their  metrical  form  was  obvious.  And  the  fact  that 
hymns  were  free  compositions,  not  confined  to  Scriptural 
paraphrase,  constituted  no  objection  to  them  in  Luther's 
mind,  but  on  the  other  hand  suggested  an  opportunity  of 
filling  the  Hymn-Form  with  the  doctrines  and  inspira- 
tions of  the  new  evangel.  Luther  adopted  without  hesita- 
tion the  Metrical  Hymn  of  human  composition  as  a 
permanent  element  of  his  cultus.  And  he  provided  German 
hymns  set  to  suitable  tunes,  and  put  the  hymn  books  into 
the  hands  of  the  people.     From  the  beginning,  therefore, 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      23 

Lutheran  song  became  Hymnody  in  the  narrower  sense  of 
the  word.  This  Lutheran  Hymnody  was  based  indiscrim'^ 
inately  on  Scripture,  the  Latin  and  Hussite  hymns,  popular 
songs,  and  the  thoughts  and  feeHngs  of  the  writer.  And 
from  Luther's  time  to  the  present  the  composition  of  German 
hymns  has  proceeded  without  a  break,  and  their  congre- 
gational use  has  continued  to  be  a  characteristic  feature 
of  Lutheran  worship. 

Calvin  on  the  other  hand  was  impressed  with  the  frivolity^ 
of  current  French  song,  and  impatient  of  any  melody  in 
any  wise  associated  with  it.  To  the  music  of  the  old  Church 
and  its  elaborate  ritual  he  was  possibly  indifferent  by  tem- 
perament, but  certainly  hostile  through  a  conscientious  con- 
viction that  it  was  a  purely  human  contrivance  and  the 
scaffolding  of  a  merely  formal  religion.  In  arranging  a 
worship  for  the  Reformed  Church  he  proposed  to  ignore 
the  historical  development  of  worship  in  the  Latin  Church, 
and  to  reinstate  the  simpler  conditions  of  the  primitive 
Church.  He  would  have  nothing  in  the  cultus  which  could 
not  claim  the  express  authority  of  Scripture.  He  found 
Scriptural  precedent  for  the  ordinance  of  Congregational 
Song,  and  saw  the  advantage  of  the  metrical  hymn- form. 
But  the  Church's  imprimatur  on  the  "Hymn  of  human 
composure"  gave  it  no  sanctity  in  his  mind.  And  the 
Breviary  itself  showed  how  readily  the  Hymn  served  as  the 
embodiment  of  false  doctrine.  And  so,  without  denying 
the  breadth  of  St.  Paul's  allowance  of  "Psalms  and  hymns 
and  spiritual  songs,"  and  without  denying  the  Church's 
right  to  make  its  own  hymns,  he  rested  upon  the  propo^ 
sition  that  there  could  be  no  better  songs  than  the  inspired 
songs  of  Scripture.  He  established  the  precedent  of  Churcn 
Song  taken  from  the  word  of  God  itself,  and  practically 
confined  to  the  canonical  Psalms.  The  authority  of  Calvin's 
opinion  and  example  was  such  that  the  usage  of  singing 
metrical  psalms  as  instituted  at  Geneva  followed  the  spread 
of  Calvinistic  doctrine  through  the  world  as  a  recognized 
feature  of  church  order.     It  became  as  characteristic  of 


24  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

the  Reformed  cultus  as  hymn  singing  was  of  the  Lutheran 
cultus. 

/  The  new  Protestant  Church  Song  was  thus  from  the 
first  divided  into  two  separate  streams,  having  Luther  and 
Calvin  as  their  respective  sources,  and  differing  in  theii- 

victual  contents.  H  we  attempt  to  put  this  new  Protestant 
song  in  relation  to  the  service  of  praise  in  the  historic 
cultus  of  the  Latin  Church  which  it  replaced,  it  appears  that 
the  Lutheran  Hymnody  and  the  Reformed  Psalmody  agree 
in  taking  the  service  of  praise  out  of  the  hands  of  the  choir 
and  restoring  it  to  the  congregation,  and,  with  that  end  in 
view,  in  rendering  it  in  the  vernacular  tongue.  But  the 
Lutheran  Hymn  must  be  regarded  as  the  lineal  successor  of 
the  Latin  hymns  of  the  Breviary,  and  as  carrying  forward 
the  usage  of  hymn  singing  without  a  break.  The  Calvinistic 
psalm,  on  the  other  hand,  would  have  to  be  regarded  as 
the  lineal  successor  of  the  old. church  Psalmody, — that  ren- 
dering of  the  Latin  prose  Psalter  in  stated  portions  which 
constituted  the  main  feature  of  the  Daily  Office.  It  is  true 
that  the  Calvinistic  psalm  was  run  into  the  mould  of  the 
metrical  hymn,  and  being  a  metrical  formula  of  congrega- 
tional praise,  it  may  be  called  a  hymn,  in  the  larger  sense  of 
that  word.  But  in  reality  it  marked  a  breach  with  the 
extra-Biblical  Hymnody  of  the  Western  Church,  and  of  the 
Hussites  and  Lutherans.  It  represented  a  popularization 
of  the  old  church  Psalmody  that  offered  itself  as  a  substi- 
tute for  Hymnody,  whether  old  or  new.  Henceforward,  for 
two  centuries  and  a  half  at  least,  the  Hymn  and  the  Metri- 
cal Psalm  stand  side  by  side  as  representing  clearly  differ- 
entiated and  even  opposing  systems  of  congregational 
Church  Song.^ 

^The  necessity  of  marking  this  distinction  is  the  justification  of  the 
word  "Hymnody,"  even  though  objected  to  by  purists  as  lacking  the 
highest  sanction.  Philologically  "Hymnody"  would  seem  to  be  the 
analogue  of  "Psalmody,"  and  practically  would  seem  to  be  a  necessity 
to  express  the  practice  of  singing  hymns,  and  also  the  body  of  the 
hymns  thus  sung.  The  current  employment  of  "Psalmody"  to  express 
these  things  simply  ignores  the  history  of  two  centuries,  and  obscures 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      25 

4.     The  English-speaking  Peoples  Become  Psalm 
Singers 

Which  of  these  contrasting  types  of  Church  Song  was  to 
estabHsh  itself  among  English-speaking  peoples  was  at  first 
by  no  means  clear.  Both  in  England  and  Scotland  the 
impulse  behind  the  early  Reformation  movement  was 
Lutheran,  and  in  each  country  the  leaders  endeavored  to 
forward  the  movement  by  means  of  religious  songs  of 
Lutheran  type,  and  in  part  derived  from  Lutheran  sources. 

In  England  this  effort  was  ineffective.  Some  years 
later  than  1531  Myles  Coverdale  issued  the  first  English 
hymn-book,  his  Goostly  Psalmes  and  Spirituall  Songes 
drawen  out  of  the  holy  Scripture,  based  on  the  Witten- 
berg hymn  books.  These  dull  songs  made  little  appeal  to  the 
people,  and  at  the  same  time  they  were  in  advance  of  the 
limits  of  the  scheme  of  reform  then  proposed  by  Henry 
VIII.  In  1546  the  King  put  the  Goostly  Psalmes  among  the 
prohibited  books,  and  brought  its  ineffectual  career  to  an  end. 

the  facts :  and  when,  as  by  some  recent  writers,  the  word  "Psalmody" 
is  actually  applied  to  the  body  of  the  tunes  to  which  hymns  are  sung, 
we  seem  to  reach  a  point  at  which  the  article  exhibited  and  the  label 
attached  to  it  have  no  obvious  connection.  English  writers  in  general, 
dealing  specifically  with  hymns,  have  used  the  word  "Hymnology"  to 
describe  the  collective  body  of  them  or  some  part  of  it.  Thus  James 
King  gathers  the  body  of  hymns  in  widest  use  in  the  Church  of 
England  under  the  title  Anglican  Hymnology  (London,  1885)  ;  and, 
as  if  to  prove  that  we  have  not  misunderstood  him,  entitles  his  first 
chapter  "History  of  Ancient  and  Mediaeval  Hymnology."  When  Mr. 
Courthope  tells  us  {A  History  of  English  Poetry,  vol.  v,  London,  1905, 
pp.  328,  336),  that  "Hymnology  had  its  rise  among  the  Nonconform- 
ists," and  that  "the  style  of  English  Hymnology  reaches  its  highest 
level"  in  certain  hymns  of  Dr.  Watts,  we  may  not  question  the  law- 
fulness of  his  use  of  the  terms  but  we  must  affirm  its  inexpediency. 
When  we  have  gathered  our  specimens  from  the  quarry  or  mine,  we 
have  not  gathered  its  "mineralogy"  but  its  minerals,  from  which  the 
brain  and  not  the  hand  must  construct  their  mineralogy.  Just  so, 
dealing  at  present  with  the  English  Hymn  and  its  liturgical  use,  it 
would  appear  that  the  word  "Hymnody"  describes  the  materials  for 
our  study;  and  that  the  word  "Hymnology"  expresses  rather  that 
ordered  knowledge  of  hymns  to  which  a  study  such  as  ours  may  be 
expected  to  contribute. 


26  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

In  Scotland,  on  the  other  hand,  Coverdale's  contem- 
poraries, the  Wedderburns,  successfully  introduced  among 
the  people  hymns  and  songs  based  on  Lutheran  models. 
These  played  a  great  part  in  the  development  of  the  Refor- 
mation, down  to  and  beyond  the  formal  organization  of  the 
Reformed  Church  of  Scotland.^ 

But  in  both  countries  the  influence  of  Calvin  prevailed 
over  that  of  Luther,  and  determined  among  other  things 
the  form  of  Church  Song.  The  Scottish  Church,  under 
Knox's  influence,  discarded  the  Wedderburn  Hymnody  and 
adopted  the  Genevan  system  of  Metrical  Psalmody  into  its 
constitution.  The  English  Church  adopted  Metrical  Psal- 
mody just  as  effectively,  but  less  formally,  as  something  not 
provided  for  in  the  Prayer  Book  system,  but  yet  "allowed" 
to  adhere  to  the  margin  of  that  system.  Practically  both 
English-speaking  Churches  entered  upon  an  era  of  psalm 
singing  which  was  to  be  little  disturbed  through  two 
centuries. 

II 

THE   HYMNS   APPENDED   TO   THE   METRICAL 

PSALTERS  (1561-1635)  NOT  THE  NUCLEUS 

OF   AN   ENGLISH   HYMNODY 

And  yet  neither  in  England  nor  Scotland  was  the  psalm 
book  which  was  put  into  the  hands  of  the  people  confined 
exclusively  to  canonical  Psalms.  In  both  countries  the 
authorized  Psalter  included  not  only  a  complete  metrical 

*We  have  regarded  the  Coverdale  episode  in  England  and  that  of  the 
Wedderburns  in  Scotland  as  belonging  logically  and  chronologically  to 
the  earlier  movement  to  establish  Psalmody  rather  than  to  the  later 
movement  to  establish  Hymnody.  Their  fuller  treatment  falls  there- 
fore within  the  scope  of  the  history  of  Metrical  Psalmody.  There  is  an 
accessible  reprint  of  Coverdale's  book  (without  the  music)  in  the 
Parker  Society's  edition  of  his  Remains  (Cambridge,  1846).  Of  the 
Wedderburn  book  there  is  David  Laing's  annotated  reprint  (Edinburgh, 
1868),  and  Dr.  A.  F.  Mitchell's  more  elaborate  edition  of  The  gnde  and 
godlie  Ballatis  for  the  Scottish  Text  Society  (1897).  See  also  his  The 
Wedderburns  and  their  work   (Edinburgh  and  London,  1867). 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      27 

version  of  the  Psalms  but  also  an  appended  group,  relatively 
small,  of  hymns  and  metrical  paraphrases  of  other  Scrip- 
tural passages  and  Prayer  Book  materials. 

This  common  feature,  as  also  the  identity  of  much  of 
the  contents  of  the  two  Psalters,  is  explained  by  the  fact 
that  they  had  a  common  origin.  Both  Psalters  represent 
the  carrying  forward  in  their  respective  countries,  on  some- 
what differing  lines,  of  the  work  begun  by  the  Marian  exiles 
at  Geneva.  Knox,  Whittingham  and  others  of  the  Puritan 
party  of  exiles  who  were  deeply  under  Calvin's  influence, 
were  particularly  impressed  by  the  psalm  singing  he  had  set 
up  in  his  little  French  congregation.  In  preparing  a  service 
book  for  their  own  people  to  take  the  place  of  the  Prayer 
Book,^  they  determined  to  introduce  psalm  singing,  and 
began  the  preparation  of  an  English  psalm  book,  of  which 
Calvin's  French  Psalter  was  inevitably  the  model.  But  even 
at  Geneva,  the  fountain  head  of  Metrical  Psalmody,  the 
addiction  to  psalms  was  not  absolutely  exclusive.  The  first 
edition  of  Calvin's  Genevan  Psalter  (1542)  included 
metrical  versions  of  the  Song  of  Simeon,  the  Command- 
ments, the  Lord's  Prayer  and  the  Creed;  in  the  complete 
and  final  form  of  the  Psalter  (1562)  the  outside  material 
consisted  of  the  Song  of  Simeon  and  Commandments  versi- 
fied and  two  metrical  graces  at  meals.  There  was  thus  no 
departure  from  Genevan  precedent  made  by  including  hymns 
in  the  English  and  Scottish  Psalters;  but  in  each  case  the 
appended  hymns  were  more  numerous  and  more  diverse, 
and  demand  examination  especially  as  to  the  actual  sig- 
nificance of  their  appearance  there. 

I.     The  Hymns  Appended  to  the  English  Psalter 

The  nucleus  of  the  English  Psalter,  the  earliest  psalm 
book  of  the  exiles  at  Geneva,  was  annexed  to  their  Forme 

^The  forme  of  prayers  and  ministration  of  the  sacraments,  &c., 
vsed  in  the  Englishe  Congregation  at  Geneua:  and  approued  by  the 
famous  and  godly  learned  man,  John  Caluyn.  Imprinted  at  Geneua 
by  John  Crespin,  M.D.LVI. 


28  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

of  prayers  of  1556  already  referred  to  as  One  and  fiftie 
Psalmes  of  Dauid  in  Englishe  metre,  and  beyond  the 
psalms  contained  only  the  Commandments  versified  by 
Whittingham.  Not  only  the  progress  of  the  Psalter  itself 
but  also  a  gradual  increase  in  the  number  of  appended  pieces 
is  traced  through  the  earliest  surviving  English-printed 
edition  of  1560,  and  in  English  and  Genevan  editions  both 
of  1561. 

The  English  Psalter  (commonly  called  Sternhold  and 
Hopkins,  or  the  Old  Version)  appeared  in  its  completed 
form  from  the  press  of  John  Day  at  London,  with  a  title 
not  without  significance  for  our  inquiry :  The  whole  Booke 
of  Psalmes,  collected  into  Englysh  metre  by  T.  Starnhold, 
I.  Hopkins  &  others:  conferred  with  the  Ebrue,  with  apt 
Notes  to  sing  them  withal,  Faithfully  perused  and  alowed 
according  to  thordre  appointed  in  the  Quenes  maiesties 
Iniunctions.  Very  mete  to  he  vsed  of  all  sortes  of  people 
priuately  for  their  solace  &  comfort:  laying  apart  all  vn- 
godly  Songes  and  Ballades,  which  tende  only  to  the  norish- 
ing  of  vyce,  and  corrupting  of  youth.  [Followed  by  two 
texts  and  imprint].     An.  1562. 

Included  in  this  Psalter,  sharing  such  authorization  as  it 
had,  are  two  groups  of  metrical  hymns,  one  immediately 
preceding  and  one  following  the  "PSALMS  OF  DAVID." 
In  the  preHminary  edition  of  1561  they  had  numbered  seven- 
teen, in  the  completed  edition  of  1562  they  number  nine- 
teen, and  in  editions  immediately  succeeding  they  attain  a 
total  of  twenty-three  pieces.  In  the  edition  of  1562  the 
hymns  are  as  follows : 

Before  the  Psalms — 

1.  Veni  Creator.    "Come  Holy  Ghost  eternal  God." 

[Venite.  In  1562  there  is  only  a  reference  to  Ps.  95  as  serving  for 
the  Venite  of  1561.] 

2.  Te  Deum.    "We  praise  thee  God." 

3.  Benedicite.    "O  all  ye  works  of  God  the  lord." 

4.  Benedictus.     "The  only  lorde  of  Israel." 

5.  Magnificat.     "My  soule  doth  magnifye  the  Lord." 

6.  Nunc  dimittis.     "O  Lord  be  cause  my  harts  desire." 

7.  Creed  of  Athanasius.    "What  man  soeuer  he  be  that." 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      29 

8.  Lamentation  of  a  Sinner.     "O  Lord  turn  not  away  thy  face." 

9.  Humble  Sute  of  the  Sinner.  "O  Lorde  of  whom  I  do  depend." 
ID.  Lord's  Prayer  (D.  C.  M.).  "Our  father  which  in  heauen  art." 
II.  Commandments  (D.  C.  M.).    "Hark  Israel,  and  what  I  say." 

After  the  Psalms — 

1.  Commandments  (L.  M.).  "Attend  my  people  and  geue  eare" : 
followed  by  "A  Prayer." 

2.  Lord's  Prayer  (8.  8.  8.  8.  8,  8.).    "Our  father  which  in  heauen  art." 

3.  XII  Articles  of  the  Faith.     "All  my  belief,  and  confidence." 

4.  A  Prayer  before  Sermon.    "Come  holie  spirit  the  God  of  might." 

5.  Da  pacetn.     "Giue  peace  in  these  our  daies  O  Lord." 

6.  The  Lamentation.    "O  Lord  in  thee  is  all  my  trust." 

7.  Thanksgiving  after  receiving  the  Lord's  Supper.  "The  Lord  be 
thanked  for  his  gifts." 

8.  "Preserue  vs  Lord  by  thy  deare  word." 

In  succeeding  editions  the  Venite  of  1561  ("O  come  and 
let  vs  now  reioyce")  was  restored  and  the  following  ad- 
ditional hymns  appeared : 

1.  Before  Morning  Prayer.    "Prayse  the  Lord  O  ye  Gentiles  all." 

2.  Before  Evening  Prayer.    "Behold  now  geue  heede  suche  as  be." 

3.  Complaint  of  a  Sinner.    "Where  rightuousnesse  doth  say." 

All  but  two  of  the  hymns  of  1562  have  their  "proper 
tunes"  provided :  in  the  remaining  cases  suitable  tunes  are 
indicated.  We  have  thus  before  us  what  seems  at  first 
sight  a  not  inconsiderable  provision  for  congregational  use 
in  the  Church  of  England  of  hymns  as  distinguished  from 
psalms.  But  there  are  some  considerations  tending  to 
modify  this  impression.  It  was,  in  the  first  place,  a  famil- 
iar device  at  the  time  to  cast  in  metrical  form,  and  set  to 
music,  doctrinal  or  other  material  for  use  by  the  people. 
This  was  partly  with  a  view  to  furnish  religious  songs  and 
partly  to  assist  the  memory  to  retain  things  regarded  as 
desirable  for  the  people  to  know,  and  was  independent  of 
the  question  of  what  should  be  sung  in  church.  There 
was,  in  the  second  place,  no  hesitation  on  the  part  of  the 
compilers  of  the  early  Psalters  in  joining  to  the  Psalm 
versions  matter  intended  for  such  private  use.  Witness  the 
graces  for  the  family  meal  in  the  Genevan  Psalter,  the 
treatise  on  music  and  "A  Forme  of  Prayer  to  bee  vsed  in 


30  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

priuate  houses  euery  Morning  and  Euening"  in  the  Eng- 
hsh  Psalter  of  1562.  And,  in  the  third  place,  it  appears 
from  the  title  pages  of  the  English  Psalter  that  it  was  in- 
tended for  use  outside  of  church.  The  title  of  the  editions 
of  1561-1562  contained  the  words:  "Very  mete  to  be  vsed 
of  all  sorts  of  people  priuately."  It  was  not  until  1566 
that  the  title  page  of  the  Psalter  claimed  authorization  for 
its  use  in  church.^ 

It  is  then  obvious  that  the  presence  of  these  hymns  in 
the  English  Psalter  does  not  of  itself  imply,  either  in  inten- 
tion or  in  fact,  their  use  in  the  church  services.  As  to  the 
actual  significance  of  their  inclusion  one  must  form  his 
own  conclusions. 

Turning  first  to  the  prefixed  hymns,  the  Prayer  Book 
complexion  of  the  whole  group  is  at  once  apparent.  If 
we  regard  the  "Lamentation"  and  "Humble  Sute"  as  rep- 
resenting the  elements  of  Confession  of  Sin  and  Prayer 
for  Pardon  and  Peace  incorporated  in  the  Order  for  Daily 
Prayer  in  1552,  then  the  entire  group  represents  The  Book 
of  Common  Prayer  in  the  same  way  that  the  paraphrases 
of  Psalms  represent  the  canonical  Book  of  Psalms.  We 
judge  it  to  be  the  work  of  the  mediating  party  who  wished 
to  remove  the  Genevan  taint  from  the  transplanted 
Psalmody  by  mingling  Prayer  Book  materials  with  the 
Scriptural  songs  of  the  people.  They  may  have  found  their 
precedent  in  the  Latin  Psalters  of  the  old  Church,  in  which 
canticles  and  the  creed  and  Lord's  Prayer  were  added  to 
the  Psalter  proper.    That  these  paraphrases  of  Prayer  Book 

•In  1566  the  title  reads : — Newly e  set  foorth  and  allowed  to  bee  soong 
of  the  people  together,  in  Churches,  before  and  after  Morning  and 
Euening  prayer:  as  also  before  and  after  the  Sermon,  and  moreouer 
in  private  houses.  .  .  .  But  in  this  matter  the  opinion  of  many  since 
was  voiced  by  George  Wither  in  his  pamphlet,  The  Scholar's  Purgatory 
(1624)  :  "that  those  metrical  Psalms  were  never  commanded,  to  be  used 
in  divine  service,  or  in  our  public  congregations,  by  any  canon  or  ec- 
clesiastical constitution,  though  many  of  the  vulgar  be  of  that  opinion. 
But  whatsoever  the  Stationers  do  in  their  title  page  pretend  to  that 
purpose,  they  being  first  allowed  for  private  devotion  only,  crept  into 
public  use  by  toleration  rather  than  by  command." 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      31 

materials  were  intended  for  use  in  church  services  seems 
unHkely  from  the  point  of  view  here  suggested.  There 
is  no  evidence  that  they  were  so  used  except  in  so  far  as  the 
Puritans  of  that  or  a  later  period  ventured  to  substitute 
these  metrical  versions  for  the  corresponding  prose  passages 
in  the  required  Prayer  Book  service;  their  aim  being  to 
avoid  the  necessity  of  chanting  them. 

Turning  to  the  affixed  hymns  the  atmosphere  is  notably 
different,  and  is  plainly  that  of  Strassburg,  with  its  Lu- 
theran hymnody.  The  version  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  (by 
Dr.  Cox)  is  a  rendering  of  Luther's  metrical  version  and 
is  set  to  his  tune.  The  "Da  Pacem"  is  a  close  translation 
of  Wolfgang  Capito's  German  hymn  ("Gieb  Fried  zu  unser 
Zeit,  O  Herr"),  made  by  Edmund  Grindal,  a  Marian  exile 
at  Strassburg.  The  last  hymn  of  1562  is  a  rendering  by 
Wisdom  of  Luther's  famous  prayer  for  aid  against  Turk  and 
infidel,  and  is  set  to  his  tune.  We  judge  therefore  that  the 
later  group  of  hymns  reflects  the  influence  of  a  party  which 
in  exile  abroad  had  become  familiar  with  Lutheran  hym- 
nody and  who  favored  some  recognition  of  hymns  at  home; 
and  moreover  that  a  place  in  the  Psalter  was  gained  for 
these  few  hymns  in  expectation  or  at  least  hope  of  getting 
them  sung  in  the  church  services.  In  favor  of  this  view 
we  note  the  rubrics  of  No.  4,  "to  bee  sung  before  the  ser- 
mon," and  of  two  of  the  added  hymns,  "to  bee  sung  before 
Morning  prayer,"  "to  bee  sung  before  Evening  prayer." 
All  three  correspond  precisely  with  the  church  uses  desig- 
nated on  the  title-page  of  the  1566  edition  already  quoted. 

As  regards  the  expectation  of  church  use  for  these  hymns 
we  can  say  that  it  was  realized  in  the  case  of  the  Com- 
munion Thanksgiving.  George  Wither,  writing  in  1623, 
says  :'^  "We  haue  a  custome  among  us,  that,  during  the  time 
of  administring  the  blessed  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per, there  is  some  Psalme  or  hymne  sung,  the  better  to  keepe 
the  thoughts  of  the  Communicants   from  wandring  after 

''The  Hymnes  and  Songs  of  the  Church,  ed.  1623,  p.  63 :  Farr's 
reprint,  p.  271. 


32  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

vaine  objects."  This  was  the  hymn  that  shared  such  em- 
ployment with  psalms.  It  was  sung  while  seated  by  the 
portion  of  the  congregation  which  had  already  communi- 
cated or  which  awaited  their  turn  to  communicate,  and  its 
great  length  (124  lines)  suggests  that  such  use  was  fore- 
seen. But  such  use  was  disassociated  from  the  actual  ad- 
ministration of  the  Sacrament  and  in  a  sense  semi-private; 
and  it  may  well  be  that  some  parishes  made  such  use  of  this 
particular  hymn  which  otherwise  admitted  psalms  alone  to 
the  church  services. 

On  the  whole  these  hymns  present  no  more  than  an 
insignificant  exception  to  the  statement  that  the  Church  of 
England  became  a  psalm  singing  church.  At  the  first 
they  proved  no  impediment  to  the  advancing  tide  of  Psalm- 
ody. There  was  no  time  when  their  voice  could  be  dis- 
tinguished from  the  volume  of  Psalmody  that  filled  the  land. 
A  movement  to  make  use  of  them  developed  on  the  Puritan 
side;  but  they  were  not  destined  to  form  the  nucleus  of 
an  ultimate  Hymnal  nor  to  point  the  way  toward  it.  As 
time  passed  there  appeared  a  tendency  to  reduce  their 
number.  In  a  London  edition  of  171 3,  bound  up  with 
the  Prayer  Book,  they  number  only  sixteen :  in  a  Cambridge 
University  Press  edition  of  1737,  only  thirteen.  From  the 
Baskerville  edition  of  1762  they  have  disappeared  alto- 
gether. In  later  movements  to  introduce  hymns  into  church 
worship  the  hymns  of  the  early  Psalter  played  but  an  insig- 
nificant part, 

2.  The  Hymns  Appended  to  the  Scottish  Psalter 
The  first  edition  of  the  psalm  book  for  the  Scottish 
Church  appeared  in  1564  and  1565  as  a  constituent  part 
(without  separate  title-page)  of  The  forme  of  prayers  and 
ministration  of  the  sacraments  &c  vsed  in  the  English 
Church  at  Geneua,  ^approued  and  receitied  by  the  Churche 
of  Scotland,  whereunto  besydes  that  was  in  the  former 
bokes,  are  also  added  sondrie  other  prayers,  with  the  whole 
Psalmes    of   Dauid    in    English    meter  .  .  .   (Edinburgh: 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      33 

Robert  Lekprevick).^  Unlike  the  "former  bokes"  at  Geneva, 
and  the  English  Psalter  of  two  years  before,  the  psalms 
were  unaccompanied  by  paraphrases  or  hymns. 

Oddly  enough  the  song  first  appended  to  the  Scottisii^^ 
Psalter  was  a  mere  love  song,  appearing  in  an  unlicensed 
edition  of  1568;  an  impertinent  intrusion  by  its  printer, 
Thomas  Bassandyne,  which  invoked  the  intervention  of  the 
General  Assembly,  who  ordered  him  to  call  in  the  copies 
sold,  and  to  "delete  the  said  baudie  song  out  of  the  end  of^ 
the  psalm  books."  ^ 

At  the  same  time  Bassandyne  was  ordered  to  abstain 
from  printing  anything  "without  licence  of  the  Supreme 
Magistrate,  and  revising  of  sick  things  as  pertain  to  religion 
be  some  of  the  Kirk  appointed  for  that  purpose."  But  in 
1575  Bassandyne  again  printed  the  Psalter  as  The  CL. 
Psalms  of  David  in  English  metre.  With  the  forme  of 
prayers  &c.^*^  In  this  (apparently  without  objection  from 
the  Assembly)  four  hymns  were  appended  to  the  Psalms: 
The  Commandments  (with  the  "Prayer"  following),  the 
Lord's  Prayer  (Cox),  the  Lamentation  ("O  Lord,  in  Thee 
is  all  my  trust")  and  Veni  Creator.  And  thereafter  the 
inclusion  of  some  hymns  was  the  rule  rather  than  the  ex- 
ception in  the  Scottish  Psalter.   In  the  edition  of  1595  there 

^Several  copies  are  extant.  For  facsimile  of  title-page  see  Neil 
Livingston,  The  Scottish  Metrical  Psalter  of  A.  D.  1635.  Reprinted 
.  .  .  and  illustrated  by  dissertations,  &c.,  folio,  Glasgow,  1864,  p.  72;  and, 
for  description  of  contents,  pp.  13,  27  ff.,  and  appendix.  For  a  collation, 
see  Dickson  and  Edmond,  Annals  of  Scottish  Printing,  Cambridge,  1890, 
pp.  220  ff. 

*No  copy  has  survived.  For  the  action  of  the  Assembly  see  the 
Maitland  Club  ed.  of  The  Booke  of  the  Universall  Kirk  of  Scotland, 
part  i,  pp.  125,  126.  For  the  text  of  the  "Baudie  Song"  ("Welcume 
Fortoun,  welcum  againe,")  see  Charles  G.  M'Crie,  The  Public  Worship 
of  Presbyterian  Scotland,  Edinburgh,  1892,  appendix  H.  It  had  already 
appeared  in  the  1567  edition  of  the  Wedderburn  The  gude  and  godlie 
Ballatis. 

"No  complete  copy  survives,  but  the  late  D.  Laing's  copy  and  one  at 
the  Bodleian,  Oxford,  contain  the  Psalms.  For  a  collation  of  the 
latter,  see  Dickson  and  Edmond,  op.  cit.,  pp.  309  ff.,  and  for  description 
of  contents  see  Livingston,  ut  supra. 


34  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

were  ten,  all  evidently  copied  from  the  English  Psalter.  In 
1615  appeared  "The  Song  of  Moses,"  a  Scottish  paraphrase 
of  Deuteronomy  xxxii  in  forty-three  D.  C.  M.  stanzas, 
divided  into  six  parts  for  singing  "to  the  tune  of  the  Third 
Psalme."  It  was  placed  before  the  title  page  of  the  Psalms, 
with  a  note  by  the  printer  (Andro  Hart),  explaining  why 
he  had  inserted  it  and  recommending  it  to  the  church."  In 
the  edition  of  1635  the  hymns  attained  a  maximum  of 
thirteen;  eleven  selected  from  the  English  Psalter,  two  of 
Scottish  origin; — the  Song  of  Moses,  and  "A  Spiritual 
Song,"  beginning  "What  greater  wealth  than  a  contented 
minde?" 

The  whole  list  thus  appearing  is  as  follows : — 

1.  Commandments  (L.  M.).  "Attend  my  people":  with  the  "Prayer." 

2.  Lord's  Prayer  (Cox's). 

3.  Veni  Creator. 

4.  Nunc  dimittis. 

5.  XII  Articles. 

6.  The  Humble  Sute.     "O  Lord,  on  whom  I  do  depend." 

7.  The  Lamentation.    "O  Lord,  turn  not." 

8.  The  Complaint.     "Where  righteousnesse  doth  say." 

9.  Magnificat. 

ID.  The  Lamentation.    "O  Lord,  in  thee." 

11.  The  Song  of  Moses. 

12.  Thanksgiving  after  the  Lord's  Supper. 

13.  A  Spiritiiall  Song. 

The  questions  that  concern  us  are  whether  these  appended 
hymns  were  authorized,  and,  if  so,  for  use  in  church  wor- 
ship, and  whether  by  making  use  of  them  the  Church  of 
Scotland  was  at  first,  and  to  that  extent,  a  hymn  singing 
church. 

No  express  authorization  of  them  has  been  shown.  On 
the  other  hand  their  appearance  was  known  to  the  Assem- 
blies, and  not  rebuked  as  the  appearance  of   "Welcume 

"A  godly  brother,  to  whom  he  announced  his  intention  of  reprinting 
the  Psalter,  expressed  surprise  that  the  Song  of  Moses  had  never 
found  place  in  earlier  editions.  Hart  thereupon  requested  him  to 
prepare  a  metrical  version  for  insertion  in  the  forthcoming  edition. 
The  song  is  signed  "L  M.,"  and  its  author  has  been  identified  as 
James  Melville,  nephew  of  Andrew  and  minister  of  Kilrenny. 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 


35 


Fortoun"  had  been.  We  must  then  say  that  the  hymns  were 
tacitly  allowed.  Such  careful  students  as  Dr.  Horatius 
Bonar  and  Dr.  Sprott  have  assumed  as  a  matter  of  course 
that  this  action  or  lack  of  action  on  the  part  of  the  Assembly 
was  with  a  view  to  the  church  use  of  the  hymns  in  public 
worship. ^2  This  assumption  involves  the  position  that  mis- 
cellaneous hymn  singing  was  so  much  a  matter  of  common 
consent  among  Scottish  reformers  that  the  appearing  of  a 
group  of  hymns  for  church  worship  along  with  the  psalms 
was  not  a  thing  requiring  action  or  even  notice  by  the 
church  authorities.  For  this  there  is  no  evidence  in  their 
writings  or  recorded  practice  or  in  the  rubrics  of  the 
Common  Order.  The  probabilities  seem  to  point  in  a  direc- 
tion precisely  opposite.  They  suggest  that  the  addition  of 
hymns  was  made  so  easily  simply  because  their  use  in  church 
worship  was  not  proposed,  and  because  the  singing  of 
spiritual  songs  by  the  people  or  their  use  as  means  for  in- 
structing the  young  was  acceptable  to  all.  That  no  one  of 
these  hymns  was  ever  used  in  any  Scottish  church  cannot 
be  affirmed,  but  if  so  there  is  no  known  record  of  it.  But 
that  the  appendix  of  hymns  did  not  constitute  a  church 
hymn  book,  and  that  the  hymns  were  not  used  continuously 
or  generally  can  be  affirmed  with  confidence,  and  proved  by 
reference  to  successive  editions  of  the  Psalter  itself.  No 
hymns  are  known  to  have  been  appended  till  1575,  when 
they  number  four.  In  the  editions  of  1587,  1594  and  1595, 
they  number  ten.  In  1599  there  is  but  one  (the  "Lamenta- 
tion"). In  1602  there  are  again  ten :  in  one  edition  of  161 1 
three,  and  in  another,  a  small  and  cheap  edition  for  general 

"Dr.  Bonar  in  Catechisms  of  the  Scottish  Reformation  (London, 
1866),  p.  302:  Dr.  Sprott  in  The  Worship  and  OMces  of  the  Church 
of  Scotland  (Edinburgh,  1882),  p.  33.  They  are  answered  with  warmth 
by  D.  Hay  Fleming  in  The  Hymnology  of  the  Scottish  Reformation 
(Reprinted  from  "Original  Secession  Magazine"),  1884.  It  seems  to 
be  the  rule  in  Scotland  that  those  favoring  the  use  of  hymns  see  clearly 
that  the  church  has  always  allowed  them,  while  those  opposing  hymns 
are  concerned  to  maintain  what  was  until  lately  the  church's  un- 
varying practice. 


36  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

use,  there  are  none  at  all.  In  1615  there  are  ten  affixed,  and 
one  prefixed  on  the  printer's  own  motion.  In  1629  there  is 
only  one  hymn.  In  1635  there  are  thirteen,  and  the  "Song" 
prefixed  by  the  printer  in  161 5  appears  in  the  appendage 
with  the  earlier  hymns.  The  editions  of  the  Scottish  Psalter 
were  numerous,  in  order  that  the  people  might  have  their 
own  copies;  the  days  of  "lining  out  the  Psalm"  were  not 
yet;^^  and  plainly  the  Psalters  in  their  hands  did  not  furnish 
the  materials  for  the  congregational  singing  of  the  hymns. 

We  do  not  know  under  what  auspices  the  hymns  were 
added  to  the  Scottish  Psalters.  It  has  already  become  evi- 
dent that  the  printers  exercised  some  liberty  in  this  connec- 
tion, and  that  the  appendage  to  the  English  Psalter  fur- 
nished a  motive  and  also  the  materials.  We  can  only 
surmise  the  reasons  that  guided  the  selection  of  English 
material.  The  apocryphal  Bcnedicite,  the  Te  Deiim  and 
Creed  of  Athanasius,  would  be  regarded  as  inexpedient ;  the 
alternative  Commandments  and  Lord's  Prayer,  and  the 
Venite  ("see  Psalm  95")  as  surplusage;  the  other  omitted 
hymns  as  perhaps  unnecessary  or  unattractive. 

In  Scotland  as  in  England  the  hymns  appended  to  the 
Psalter  failed  to  furnish  the  nucleus  of  a  future  hymn  book. 
The  increase  of  their  number  in  1635  did  not  imply  a 
movement  to  make  larger  use  of  them  in  worship,  and  when 
the  Psalms  of  David  in  mecter  were  prepared  in  1649-50 
there  seems  to  have  been  no  thought  given  to  reprinting  the 
earlier  hymns  but  rather  to  the  question  of  adding  Scriptural 
paraphrases  in  the  strict  sense. 

As  the  result  of  our  examination  we  are  compelled  to 
conclude  that  in  spite  of  appearances  the  hymns  appended  to 
the  English  and  Scottish  Psalters  must  be  regarded  as  an 
episode,  and  one  of  no  great  significance,  in  the  history  of 
Psalmody  rather  than  as  a  link  in  the  continutiy  of  the  de- 
velopment of  the  English  Hymn.  Their  relation  to  church 
worship  is  indeterminate.  They  did  not  become  the  nucleus 
of  a  hymnal.    They  were  hardly  even  prophetic  of  the  lines 

"C/.  Livingston,  op.  cit.,  p.  3. 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      37 

on  which  the  Hymn  developed;  for  the  demand  for  hymns' 
grew  out  of  long  experience  in  singing  metrical  psalms,  and 
not  out  of  any  satisfaction  in  the  use  of  appended  hymns. 


Ill 

THE  PROMISE  OF  AN  ENGLISH  HYMNODY  BY 

TRANSLATING  THE  OLD  LATIN  CHURCH 

HYMNS   (1538-1559)   FAILS 

The  most  striking  feature  of  the  hymns  appended  to  the 
English  and  Scottish  Psalters  is  the  appearance  in  each  of 
a  translation  of  the  old  Latin  church  hymn,  Veni  Creator 
Spiritus,  which  was  in  the  Breviary  and  had  also  a  place  of 
special  honor  in  the  Pontifical.  It  suggests  at  first  sight  a 
purpose  of  giving  the  old  church  Hymnody  some  recogni- 
tion along  with  the  new  Psalmody,  but  it  had  in  reality  no 
such  significance.  In  the  case  of  Scotland  the  appearance 
of  this  hymn  had  probably  no  significance  one  way  or  the 
other.  Under  Knox's  influence  the  Genevan  model  had  been 
transported  to  Scotland  bodily,  and  there  was  no  question 
among  the  reformers  of  continuing  the  Latin  Hymnody  or 
any  other  features  of  the  old  church  services.  Whoever 
chose  the  hymns  for  the  Scottish  Psalter  found  this  one  in 
the  English  Psalter,  chose  it  and  inserted  it  for  reasons  we 
do  not  know  and  for  uses  we  can  only  surmise.  But  in 
England  the  situation  was  different.  The  course  taken  by 
the  Reformation  there  left  ample  opportunities  for  the  in- 
troduction of  an  English  Hymnody  on  the  lines  of  the  old 
Latin  Hymnod}'  so  familiar  and  so  dear  to  many;  of  which 
opportunities  the  occasion  of  adding  an  appendix  of  hymns 
to  the  metrical  Psalter  may  be  regarded  as  the  last.  What 
the  appearance  of  the  Veni  Creator  alone  in  this  appendix 
really  signifies  is  not  a  purpose  to  embrace  this  final  oppor- 
tunity, but  rather  an  acquiescence  in  a  situation  in  which, 
with  the  single  exception  of  Veni  Creator,  the  whole  area 
of  the  Latin  Llymnody  had  been  excluded  from  the  worship 


38  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

of  the  Reformed  Church  of  England.  And,  before  taking 
up  the  Hues  upon  which  an  EngHsh  Hymnody  did  develop, 
its  failure  to  develop  on  the  line  that  seems  most  natural 
and  inviting  demands  some  consideration. 

There  had  been  from  the  very  first  the  promise  of  such 
development  through  the  simple  process  of  turning  the  Latin 
hymns  into  English;  a  process  happening  to  be  consistent 
with  the  scope  and  direction  of  the  plans  of  Henry  VHL 
Apart  from  the  efforts  of  reformers  the  Church  had  al- 
ready shown  some  purpose  of  meeting  the  desire  of  the  laity 
for  a  more  intelligent  part  in  worship.  This  showed  itself 
first  in  the  Horac  or  Primer,  the  layman's  book  of  private 
devotion,  whether  at  home  or  in  church;  containing  offices 
for  the  hours,  commandments,  creed,  litany,  the  penitential 
and  other  Psalms,  with  various  prayers  and  materials  for 
devotion  and  sometimes  for  instruction;  and  including  in 
the  offices  the  hymns  proper  to  the  time.  The  Ms.  Sarum 
Primer  of  the  beginning  of  the  15th  century,  is  already 
wholly  in  English  and  the  hymns  are  translated  into  prose. ^^ 
In  printed  editions  of  Sarum  Primers  from  1538,  the  hymns 
are  versified  in  a  rude  way,  not  apparently  for  singing  and 
certainly  not  for  singing  in  church.  From  the  Sarum 
Primers  grew  a  modified  and  unauthorized  type,  of  which 
Marshall's  Primer  of  c.  1534  is  the  earliest  survivor.^^  The 
hand  of  reform  is  disclosed  by  the  omission  of  hymns  to 
the  Virgin;  the  Latin  hymns  of  the  Sarum  Primer  are  re- 
jected, and  new  hymns  are  furnished  on  the  Latin  model: 
another  effort  by  an  unknown  hand  toward  supplying  a 
Reformed  Hymnody,  and  paralleling  in  a  small  way  that  of 
Coverdale. 

By  1539  Henry  VIII  takes  the  Primer  in  hand,  and 
through  Bishop  Hilsey  issues  one  based  on  the  Sarum}^  In 
1545  appeared  the  first  of  many  editions  of  The  Primer  set 

"Reprinted  in  Maskell's  Moniimenta  rititalia  Ecdcsiae  Anglicanae, 
vol.  iii. 

"E.  Hoskins,  Sarum  and  York  Primers,  with  kindred  books,  Lon- 
don, 1901,  No.  115,  and  see  pp.  193  fiF. 

'^Hoskins,  No.  142  and  see  pp.  225  flf. 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      39 

fvrth  by  the  hinge's  maicstic  &  his  clergie,  to  he  taught 
lerned,  and  red;  &  none  other  to  he  vsed  thorowout  all  his 
Dominions."  ^^  By  royal  injunction  prefixed,  this  book 
became  the  sole  authorized  primer ;  the  selling,  use  or  teach- 
ing of  any  of  the  earlier  ones  being  prohibited. 

The  hymns  of  this  King's  Primer  are  a  fresh  selection, 
taken  with  one  exception  from  the  Sarum  Breviary.  They 
mark  a  great  advance  over  their  predecessors  in  the  primers 
and  in  Coverdale:  the  sweetness  of  their  spiritual  tone  and 
the  excellence  of  their  verse  are  still  appealing.  In  this  book 
our  Long  Metre  takes  its  place  as  the  English  equivalent 
of  the  Iambic  Dimeter  of  the  Ambrosian  Hymns;  and  the 
Trochaic  7s  is  also  successfully  introduced. 

Before  the  publication  of  this  Primer  for  private  use, 
the  first  step  had  already  been  taken  toward  introducing 
the  vernacular  into  the  public  worship  of  the  church.  The 
Convocation  of  1542  ordered  that  twice  on  every  Sunday 
and  holy  day  a  chapter  of  the  Bible  in  English  should  be 
read  to  the  people;  and  in  1544  was  set  forth  a  "Litany 
with  suffrages"  in  English,  to  be  used  in  processions.^^ 
Cranmer  had  also  made  a  beginning  in  providing  English 
versions  of  the  hymns  used  In  the  public  services.  A  letter 
he  sent  to  the  King  a  few  months  after  the  publication  of  the 
English  Litany,  encloses,  with  other  translations  and  music, 
a  draft  of  a  version  of  the  hymn  Salve  festa  dies  set  to  the 
Gregorian  melody.  *T  have  travailed,"  Cranmer  says,  "to 
make  the  verses  in  English.  ...  I  made  them  only  for 
a  proof  to  see  how  English  would  do  in  song.  But,  by 
cause  mine  English  verses  want  the  grace  and  facility  that 
I  would  wish  they  had,  your  majesty  may  cause  some  other 
to  make  them  again,  that  can  do  the  same  In  more  pleasant 
English  and  phrase."^® 

There  Is  no  evidence  that  any  use  was  made  of  Cran- 
mer's  hymn  or  of  his  suggestion  to  employ  a  more  cunning 

"The  title  is  from  a  reprint  of  the  edition  of  1546  (xvii  August). 
^^Private  prayers  of  Queen  Elizabeth.    Parker  Society  ed :  appendix. 
^'Misc.  Writings  and  Letters  of  Cranmer.    Parker  Soc.  ed.,  p.  412. 


40  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

hand.     In  fact  during  the  remainder  of  Henry's  reign  no 
further  steps  were  taken  toward  vernacular  services. 

But  when  under  Edward  VI  the  way  was  opened  to  in- 
troduce English  service  books,  neither  the  First  Prayer  Book 
of  1549  nor  the  Second  of  1552,  contained  any  of  the 
hymns  which  were  an  essential  part  of  the  offices  from  which 
the  Prayer  Book  Services  were  framed,  except  a  rendering 
of  the  Veni  Creator  Spiritus  in  the  ordinal  of  1550.  The 
little  that  is  known  of  the  genesis  of  the  First  Prayer  Book 
throws  scanty  light  on  this  omission.  The  recently  printed 
Ms.  of  Cranmer's  two  drafts  of  his  successive  schemes  of 
liturgical  revision  bears  no  dates. ^"  The  first  is  the  scheme 
of  a  revised  Breviary,  containing  offices  for  all  the  canonical 
hours,  in  the  Latin  language  throughout,  and  based  on  the 
Reformed  Breviary  of  Cardinal  Quignon.^^  The  second 
draft  seems  to  belong  to  the  early  years  of  Edward  VI's 
reign,  and  marks  the  transition  from  the  "Divine  Office"  of 
the  ancient  Church  to  the  "Morning  and  Evening  Prayer" 
of  the  Church  of  England.  The  "Hours"  are  reduced  to 
two,  Matins  and  Vespers,  and  the  Lord's  Prayer  and  Les- 
sons are  in  English.  Of  the  Latin  hymns  of  the  Breviaries, 
twenty-six  are  retained,  fourteen  being  assigned  to  the  days 
of  the  week,  twelve  to  the  seasons  of  the  Church  year.^^ 
For  some  reason  Cranmer  did  not  use  the  Breviaries  as  the 
sources  of  his  hymns,  but  took  them  from  the  Elucida- 
torium  Ecclesiasticum  of  Clichtoveus,  one  of  the  earliest 
collectors  of  hymns,  following  his  text.^^  Four  of  the 
hymns  had  never  appeared  in  an  English  office  book,  and 
of  these  one  is  by  Clichtoveus  himself.^^  In  the  preface  of 
his  draft  Cranmer  says :  "We  have  left  only  a  few  hymns 
which  appeared  to  be  more  ancient  and  more  beautiful  than 
the  rest."  ^^    In  thus  dealing  with  the  hymns  Cranmer  was 

""First  printed  in  Gasquet  and  Bishop,  Edward  VI  and  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer,  London,  1890. 

-'Ibid.,  p.  37.  ^'Ibid.,  p.  32. 

-^Ibid.,  pp.  353  ff.  and  334. 
^Ibid.,  p.  354  and  note. 
'7&iU,  p.  27- 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      41 

following  the  example  of  Qiiignon,  and  to  some  extent  his 
preface  here  follows  the  words  of  Quignon's.  The  preface 
to  the  First  Prayer  Book  of  Edward  VI  is  little  more  than 
a  translation  of  the  preface  to  this  second  of  Cranmer's 
drafts ;  but  as  there  are  no  Office  Hymns  in  the  Prayer  Book 
the  reference  to  them  just  quoted  of  course  drops  out.^^ 

Cranmer's  draft  shows  a  purpose  of  reducing  the  num- 
ber of  the  hymns  in  use,  and  a  preference  for  the  ancient 
hymns  as  against  those  more  recently  added  to  the  Breviar- 
ies. But  it  does  not  explain  why  in  turning  his  services 
into  English  he  should  have  omitted  metrical  hymns  alto- 
gether from  his  Prayer  Book.  And  no  adequate  explana- 
tion of  this  singular  omission  has  ever  yet  been  offered. 
Mr.  Frere,  in  his  Nezv  History  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  says  that  Cranmer  omitted  the  hymns  because  he 
had  "failed  in  his  attempts  to  reproduce  them  in  English 
dress,  as  he  had  planned  to  do."  ^^  The  two  difficulties  in 
the  way  of  accepting  this  explanation  are:  ist  that  some 
English  versions  were  already  at  hand  in  the  King's  Primer, 
which  were  themselves  available  and  whose  existence  argues 
that  a  capacity  to  translate  other  hymns  was  not  lacking. -^^ 
2nd  that  English  hymns  not  only  failed  to  appear  in  the 

^^See  the  two  prefaces  in  parallel  columns  in  Gasquet  and  Bishop, 
appendix  iii. 

-'London,  1901,  pp.  309  f- 

''The  following  may  serve  as  a  specimen  of  these  hymns.  It  is  from 
the  edition  of  August  17,  1546,  as  "Reprinted  without  any  Alteration" 
(n.  d.). 

"Felowe  of  thy  fathers  lyght, 
Lyght   of   light   and   day   most   bryght, 
Christ   that   chaseth    awaye   nyghte, 
Ayde  vs    for  to  pray   aright. 

Driue  out  darknes,  from  our  mindes. 
Driue   away   the   flocke   of    fendes, 
Drousynes,    take    from    our   eyes, 
That  from  slouth  we  may  aryse. 

Christ  vouchsafe  mercy  to  geue, 

To  vs  all  that  do  beleue, 

Let   it  profit  vs   that  pray 

All  that  we  do  syng  or  say.     Amen." 


42  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

Prayer  Book,  but  they  actually  disappeared  from  the  new 
Primer  of  1553,  which  is  based  on  The  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  and  contains  no  metrical  hymns,  unless  rhymed 
graces  be  so  called.^^  This  exclusion  of  hymns  in  them- 
selves so  good  from  the  place  already  gained  in  the  Primer 
seems  to  imply  that  the  omission  of  hymns  from  the  Prayer 
Book  arose  from  a  change  of  sentiment  or  judgment  in 
regard  to  them,  with  which  even  the  new  Primer  had  to 
accord.  In  the  vacillation  of  Cranmer's  mind  between 
Lutheranism  and  Calvinism,  his  omission  of  the  hymns 
from  the  Prayer  Book  is  a  priori  explicable  as  due  to  either 
influence.  He  might  have  argued  that  the  true  place  of 
the  Hymn  was  not  in  the  structure  of  the  Offices,  where 
it  would  be  rendered  by  the  choir,  but  in  a  hymn-book, 
where  it  could  be  sung  by  the  people,  according  to  the 
Lutheran  precedent.  But  the  absence  of  hymns  from  the 
Primer  tells  against  this  explanation.  He  might,  on  the 
other  hand,  have  been  sufficiently  under  the  influence  of 
his  Calvinistic  advisers  to  feel  that  hymns  of  human  com- 
position had  but  a  doubtful  place  in  public  worship.  There 
are  indications  in  the  Zurich  Letters  confirming  such  a 
supposition;  and  of  the  two  explanations  of  Cranmer's 
change  of  sentiment  it  is  the  more  probable. 

Whatever  Cranmer's  motives  were,  his  action,  together 
with  the  growing  predilection  of  the  people  for  metrical 
Psalms,  proved  decisive  in  excluding  the  old  church  hymns 
from  the  worship  of  the  Church  of  England.  Hymns  ap- 
peared again  in  Elizabeth's  Primer  of  1559;  and  in  the  49th 
of  her  Injunctions  of  that  year  it  was  permitted  "that  in  the 
beginning  or  in  the  end  of  the  Common  Prayers,  either  at 
morning  or  evening,  there  may  be  sung  an  hymn  or  such 
like  song  to  the  praise  of  Almighty  God,  in  the  best  sort 
of  melody  and  music  that  may  be  conveniently  devised, 
having  respect  that  the  sentence  of  the  hymn  may  be  under- 
standed  and  perceived."     It  has  been  suggested^^  that  this 

-'^Liturgies  of  Edward  VI.     Parker.  Soc.  ed.,  pp.  357-384- 

^"By  H.  L.  Bennett  in  Julian's  Dictionary  of  Hymnology,  p.  344'. 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      43 

Injunction  contemplated  the  introduction,  among  other 
things,  of  naturalized  Latin  hymns.  Doubtless  the  Injunc- 
tion was  broad  enough  to  accomplish  such  an  end  if  the 
desire  for  it  existed,  but  its  own  declaration  of  purpose 
("for  the  comforting  of  such  that  delight  in  music")  and 
its  language  throughout  make  clear  its  intention  to  permit 
anthems  by  the  choir  of  florid  music  in  addition  to  the 
plain-song  which  it  prescribes  for  general  use.  It  became 
in  fact  the  recognized  authorization  at  once  of  the  anthem 
by  the  choir  and  of  the  Genevan  Psalm  by  the  people. 

And  when  the  completed  Psalter  of  1562  was  prepared 
no  advantage  was  taken  of  the  opportunity  to  provide  ver- 
sions of  Latin  hymns.  It  is  likely  that  the  interests  repre- 
sented in  the  prefixed  group  of  "churchly"  hymns  were  not 
solicitous  for  the  introduction  of  hymns  of  any  sort  into 
public  worship.  They  found  the  Vcni  Creator  in  the  Or- 
dinal, and  it  fell  in  with  their  purpose  of  giving  a  Prayer 
Book  tone  to  their  appendage  of  hymns.  There  is  at  least 
no  evidence  of  any  desire  to  modify  Cranmer's  rejection 
of  the  old  church  Hymnody. 

Nor  did  any  such  proposal  follow.  The  Metrical  Psalm 
had  prevailed.  The  Latin  Hymn  remained  in  the  possession 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  successive  editions 
of  the  Roman  Primer  witness  its  efforts  that  its  people 
should  know  the  hymns  in  their  own  tongue.  In  the 
Primer  of  1604  (Antwerp)  appeared  an  English  version  of 
the  Vesper  hymns  from  the  Breviary.  This  was  replaced 
in  that  of  161 5  (Mechhn)  by  another  version  of  the  same. 
Twenty  of  the  translations  in  this  Primer  have  been  claimed 
for  Drummond  of  Hawthornden,  a  Scottish  Protestant  of 
the  prelatic  type,  and  printed  as  his  by  the  editor  of  the 
171 1  Edinburgh  edition  of  his  works. ^^     The  Primer  of 

^'They  are  printed  in  W.  C.  Ward's  "Muses'  Library"  ed.  of  Drum- 
mond, London,  1894,  but  the  editor  follows  Orby  Shipley  (Annus 
Sanctus,  London,  1884,  vol.  i,  preface  pp.  12  ff.)  in  doubting  Drum- 
mond's  authorship.  For  the  opposite  view,  see  Wm.  T.  Brooke  in 
Julian,  Dictionary  of  Hymnology,  pp.  312,  313. 


44  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

1685  has  still  another  version  of  the  hymns;  and  in  that  of 
1706^2  the  whole  circle  of  the  Breviary  hymns  is  represented 
by  English  versions  which  are  regarded^^  as  owing  their 
origin  to  the  distinguished  poet  Dryden  and  as  being  in 
large  part  his  own  work. 

This  body  of  vernacular  hymns  for  the  use  of  Catholic 
laymen  had  of  course  no  bearing  upon  the  services  of  their 
Church,  and  no  influence  on  those  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land.^"* It  gradually  passed,  with  the  Primer  itself,  out  of 
use  and  largely  out  of  recollection  until  freshly  studied  in 
our  own  time  by  the  Rev.  Orby  Shipley,  an  Anglican 
clergyman  who  passed  into  the  Roman  Church  in  1877. 
But  side  by  side  with  the  Roman  Primers  appeared  numer- 
ous editions  of  Primers  of  the  Henry  VIII  type,  from 
which  devout  Anglicans  with  Roman  leanings  could  use 
versions  of  old  church  hymns  in  their  private  devotions. 
One  of  them,  John  Cosin,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Norwich, 
aimed  at  a  general  introduction  of  offices  in  Primer  fashion 
in  his  A  Collection  of  private  devotions  in  the  practice 
of  the  ancient  Church  called  the  Houres  of  Prayer  (1627), 
renamed,  the  year  following,  by  William  Prynne,  "Mr. 
Cozens  His  Couzening  Devotions."  It  contained  numerous 
versions  of  hymns  for  the  canonical  hours,  and  from  it 
Cosin's  own  version  of  Veni  Creator  passed  into  The  Book 
of  Common  Prayer  of  1662,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
revisers.  There  are  other  evidences  that  there  still  lingered 
in  the  English  Church  a  feeling  for  and  a  feeling  after  the 
old  Office  Hymns  which  the  Church  had  rejected.  But  it 
was  confined  within  a  narrow  circle  and  it  gradually  waned. 

^"The  Primer,  or  OfUce  of  the  B.  Virgin  Mary,  rcvis'd:  with  a  new 
and  approv'd  version  of  the  Church-Hymns  throughout  the  Year: 
to  which  are  added  the  remaining  Hymns  of  the  Roman  Breviary. 
Printed  in  the  Year  1706. 

^^By  Orby  Shipley,  who  prints  a  full  selection  in  his  Annus  Sanctus. 
For  Dryden's  claims  of  authorship,  see  preface,  pp.  9-12. 

^'Dryden's  version  of  V eni  Creator  in  the  1706  Primer  has  become 
familiar  in  Protestant  use.  It  had,  however,  appeared  in  part  iii  of 
his  Miscellanies,  1693,  and  in  Tonson's  folio  edition  of  Dryden's  Poems 
in  1701. 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      45 

It  was  not  without  its  influence  in  turning  the  minds  of 
devotional  poets  toward  the  hymn- form.  But  by  the 
XVIIIth  century  the  whole  area  of  Latin  Hymnody  had 
become,  to  the  Church  of  England  clergy,  a  remote  and  un- 
known country,  vaguely  indicated  as  "Popish."  It  was 
destined  to  remain  so  until  the  Oxford  Revival  of  the  XlXth 
century,  whose  leaders  encountered  much  reproach  in  their 
efforts  to  explore  it. 

And  indeed  the  causes  of  this  neglect  lay  deeper  than  even 
Protestant  prejudice.  Not  till  Romanticism,  whose  spiritual 
child  the  Oxford  Movement  was,  loosed  the  fetters  of 
Classicism  were  men's  minds  free  to  appreciate  the  old 
Hymnody  and  many  other  things  that  interest  us. 


IV 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE   ENGLISH  HYMN 
FROM  THE  METRICAL  PSALM 

The  modern  practice  of  singing  hymns  in  English-speak- 
ing Churches  grew,  as  has  been  intimated  already,  out  of 
the  Psalmody  actually  practised  in  those  Churches.  It 
found  its  occasion  in  the  dissatisfaction  with  which  the 
body  of  metrical  psalms,  substantially  alike  in  England 
and  Scotland,  came  to  be  regarded  by  many  of  those  who 
were  expected  to  sing  them.  It  found  its  opportunity  in 
growing  indifference  toward  Psalmody  as  a  church  ordi- 
nance, and  the  consequent  degradation  into  which  the  prac- 
tice of  Psalmody  as  a  musical  performance  was  allowed 
to  fall.  This  indifference  and  neglect  was  occasioned  partly 
at  least  by  the  fact  that  the  strict  principle  of  an  exclusive 
•use  of  psalms  in  worship  had  lost  something  of  the  earlier 
force  of  its  appeal  to  the  conscience,  and^psalms  had  failed 
to  express  fully  the  thoughts  and  emotions  of  the  Christian 
heart. 

The  new  Hymn  itself  was  partly  an  outspreading  of  the 
Metrical  Psalm  from  its  original  basis  of  being  a  strict  trans- 


46  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

lation,  to  embrace  a  freer  method  of  paraphrase,  to  include 
other  parts  of  Scripture,  to  become  an  "imitation"  or  ex- 
position of  Scripture,  and  finally  a  hymn  more  or  less  sug- 

^^ested  by  Scripture.  It  was  partly  also  a  development  of 
the  impulse  to  write  devotional  poetry,  to  which  a  hymnic 
turn  was  given  by  the  felt  need  of  hymns  at  first  for 
private  and  then  for  public  use.  In  the  moulding  of  its 
form  the  precedent  of  the  Metrical  Psalm  no  doubt  pre- 
dominated, but  at  the  same  time  the  older  Latin  ideal  of 
the  Hymn,  kept  alive  by  Roman  Catholic  books  of  devotion, 
was  not  without  influence,  by  way  of  suggestion  especially, 
upon  the  English  Hymn. 

The  evolution  of  the  Hymn  from  the  Metrical  Psalm 
may  perhaps  be  distinguished  as  proceeding  along  three 
lines,  more  or  less  synchronous. 

\  (i)  By  way  of  an  effort  to  improz'e  the  literary  char- 
acter of  the  authorised  Psalters. 

Our  ineradicable  conviction  that  one  choosing  the  medium 
of  verse  should  justify  his  choice  by  the  artistic  character 
of  his  work  gives  us  a  poor  point  of  view  from  which  to 
regard  Metrical  Psalmody.  It  was  a  utilitarian  device, 
based  on  devotion  to  the  letter  of  God's  word,  aiming 
merely  to  cast  it  into  measured  and  rhyming  lines  which 
plain  people  could  sing  to  simple  melodies,  as  they  sang 
their  ballads.  The  Swiss  and  French  Calvinists,  it  is  true, 
were  able  to  make  large  use  of  the  work  of  Clement  Marot, 
the  outstanding  poet  of  France,  and  secured  a  version  of 
one  third  of  the  Psalter  which  satisfied  Calvin  for  its  ac- 
curacy and  the  whole  of  France  for  its  beauty.  In  Eng- 
land and  Scotland  it  was  otherwise.  The  men  who  made 
their  Psalters  were  not  poets  nor  even  good  craftsmen. 
The  poor  and  prosaic  character  of  their  work  was  an  un- 
conscious testimony  that  English  prose  was  the  natural 
medium  of  a  literal  translation  of  the  Hebrew  Psalms,  and 
that  resort  to  verse  had  secured  singableness  at  the  expense 
of  literal  fidelity;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  desire 
to  be  as  literal  as  the  EngUsh  metre  allowed,  had  joined 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      47 

with  the  authors'  meagre  poetic  gifts,  to  produce  a  metrical 
version  devoid  of  the  grace  or  charm  of  poetry. 

Therefore  the  Enghsh  and  Scottish  Psalters  were,  from 
the  beginning  of  the  XVTIth  century,  subject  to  two  in- 
fluences. One  was  the  Puritan  demand  for  greater  literal- 
ness.  This  culminated  in  the  New  England  version,  the 
famous  Bay  Psalm  Book  of  1640,  and  in  the  Scottish  re- 
cension of  the  Psalter  recommended  by  the  Westminster 
Assembly,  commonly  called  Rous' s  Version,  1650.  These 
represented  the  Puritan  movement  to  maintain  Psalmody 
in  its  purity.  It  was  an  effectual  movement  in  Scotland. 
But  with  the  exclusion  of  the  Puritans  from  the  Church  of 
England  the  movement  did  little  permanently,  except  to 
remain  as  unsettlement  and  a  desire  for  revision. 

The  other  influence  upon  the  Psalters  was  that  of  literary 
culture,  which  regarded  them  with  growing  dissatisfaction. 
The  earlier  private  versions  following  the  publication  of 
Stcrnhold  and  Hopkins, — those,  for  example,  of  Archbishop 
Parker,  Sir  Philip  Sidney  and  his  sister,  Sir  John  Harring- 
ton, and  Sir  John  Davies,  in  England,  and  of  Alexander 
Montgomerie  in  Scotland, — were  literary  efforts  or  intended 
for  private  use,  and  some  remained  in  Ms.  They  were  no 
doubt  in  their  way  protests  against  the  current  Psalters. 
But  in  1619  George  Wither  in  his  A  Preparation  to  the 
Psalter  laboriously  cleared  the  ground  for  the  introduction 
of  a  better  version  than  that  employed  since  the  Reform- 
ation. And  his  The  Psalms  of  David  translated  into  lyrick 
verse  (1632),  and  also  The  Psalms  of  King  David  trans- 
lated by  King  James  (1631),  were  deliberate  attempts  to 
impose  upon  the  people  of  England  and  Scotland  respec- 
tively new  versions  of  the  Psalms,  of  which  they  had  no 
appreciation.  The  one  was  ordered  to  be  bound  up  with 
every  copy  of  the  Bible  issued  in  England,  the  other  was 
bound  up  with  Laud's  Prayer  Book  for  the  Scottish  Church : 
and  both  were  futile  enough. 

Such  desire  and  ability  to  improve  the  Psalter  as  there 
was  in  Scotland  found  its  final  expression  in  The  Psalms  of 


48  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

David  in  meeter,  1650,  in  which  painstaking  work  the  pre- 
ponderance of  the  Puritan  motive  did  not  prevent  an  ad- 
vance in  expression  and  in  smoothness.  In  England  the 
desire  to  improve  the  Psalter  was  confined  to  the  educated 
minority.  It  was  expressed,  for  a  long  time  inefifectually, 
in  criticisms  and  protests  and  in  private  versions  of  the 
Book  of  Psalms  offered  more  or  less  frankly  in  the  place 
of  the  current  one.  Of  these  George  Sandys'  A  para- 
phrase upon  the  Psalms  of  David  attained  real  literary  dis- 
tinction and  was  set  to  music  in  1638  by  Henry  Lawes. 
It  failed,  however,  to  attain  any  wide  use,  for  which  it  was 
indeed  poorly  adapted. 

But  in  1695  appeared  specimen  sheets  of  a  new  Psalter 
by  two  Irishmen, — Nahum  Tate,  whom  William  III  had 
made  Poet  Laureate,  and  Dr.  Nicholas  Brady,  who  had  been 
zealous  for  the  Prince  of  Orange  in  the  Revolution,  and 
was  then  a  Royal  Chaplain,  and  the  holder  also  of  a  London 
living.  Their  joint  work  was  completed  and  published 
at  London  in  1696  as  A  new  Version^^  of  the  Psalms  of 
David,  fitted  to  the  tunes  used  in  Churches.  By  N.  Tate 
and  N.  Brady.  Both  writers  were  in  royal  favor,  and  on 
December  3  of  the  year  of  its  publication,  their  version 
was  by  the  King  in  Council  "Allowed  and  Permitted  to  be 
used  in  all  Churches,  Chappels,  and  Congregations,  as  shall 
think  fit  to  receive  the  same."  In  May,  1698,  the  Bishop  of 
London  "persuaded  it  may  take  off  that  unhappy  Objection, 
which  has  hitherto  lain  against  the  Singing  Psalms,"  "heart- 
ily recommended  the  Use  of  this  Version  to  all  his  Brethren 
within  his  Diocess." 

What  at  present  concerns  us  is  to  determine  the  nature  of 
the  influence  this  book  was  fitted  to  exert  on  a  psalm  sing- 
ing church.  The  impression  it  makes  upon  ourselves,  accus- 
tomed to  the  use  of  hymns,  is  not  difficult  to  define.  Our 
opinions  might  differ  as  to  details,  but  we  are  likely  to  agree 

^'The  designation  of  New  Version  thus  given  has  ever  since  clung 
to  it  as  distinguishing  it  from  the  Old  Version  of  Sternhold  and 
Hopkins. 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      49 

that  these  new  Psahn  versions — fluent  and  rhythmical  and 
eminently  singable  as  they  are,  following  closely  the  Scrip- 
ture and  yet  yielding  to  the  devices  of  rhetoric  as  they  do, — 
often  make  upon  us  the  impression  of  being  hymns  rather 
than  psalms  in  the  stricter  sense.  We  feel,  at  times  cer- 
tainly, as  though  we  had  a  hymn  book  in  hand,  and  indeed 
recognize  a  number  of  pieces  long  familiar  to  us  as  hymns.^*^ 
What  we  wish,  however,  is  to  know  the  impression  made 
by  the  New  Version  at  the  time  upon  one  who  was  accus- 
tomed and  attached  to  singing  psalms  of  the  Old  Version  in 
church  worship. 

Fortunately  we  have  the  testimony  of  one  who  regarded 
the  attachment  of  the  plain  people  to  Sternhold  and  Hopkins 
as  a  sheet-anchor  of  English  religion,  and  who  has  given 
us  the  impression  made  upon  him  by  an  examination  of 
Tate  and  Brady.  It  occurs  in  A  Defence  of  the  Book  of 
Psalms,  collected  into  English  metre,  by  Thomas  Sternhold, 
John  Hopkins,  and  others.  With  critical  observations  on 
the  late  Nezv  Version,  compared  with  the  Old.  By  William 
Beveridge,  D.D.,  late  Lord  Bishop  of  St.  Asaph.  (Lon- 
don, 1710).    He  says: — 

"I  do  not  hear,  that  this  [New  Version]  was  ever  conferred  with  the 
Hebrew,  as  the  other  was;  nor  so  much  as  that  any  of  our  Bishops, 
or  other  learned  in  that  Language,  were  appointed  or  authorized  to  do 
it.  And  there  is  too  much  cause  to  suspect,  that  it  was  never  done. 
For,  if  we  may  take  our  Measures  of  its  agreeing  or  disagreeing  with 
the  Hebrew  Text,  from  its  agreeing  or  not  agreeing  with  the  Psalms 
in  the  New  Translation  of  the  Bible,  made  out  of  the  Hebrew,  we 
may  thence  conclude,  that  there  was  not  the  Care  taken  about  this, 
as  there  was  about  the  Old  Version.  So  far,  at  least,  as  I  am  able 
to  judge,  Who  having  got  a  Sight  of  this  New  Translation  of  the 
Psalms  in  Verse,  could  not  satisfy  my  own  Mind  about  it,  without 
comparing  it  with  the  New  Translation  in  Prose.  Which  I  had  no 
sooner  begun,  but  I  found  so  many  Variations,  that  I  thought  to  have 
gather'd  together  all  that  I  judged  to  be  so,  throughout  the  whole 
Book,  without  any  other  Design,  but  for  my  own  Satisfaction.     But 

^"Among  such :  the  34th,  "Thro'  all  the  changing  Scenes  of  life" ; 
the  42nd,  "As  pants  the  Hart  for  cooling  Streams";  the  51st,  "Have 
Mercy,  Lord,  on  me";  the  84th,  "O  God  of  Hosts,  the  mighty  Lord"; 
and  the  93rd,  "With  Glory  clad,  with  Strength  array'd." 


50  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

when  I  had  gone  a  little  way,  I  found  them  multiply  so  fast  upon  me, 
that  I  could  see  no  end,  and,  therefore,  was  forced  to  give  it  over, 
and  to  content  myself  with  observing  the  reason  of  it;  which,  to  me, 
seem'd  to  be  this :  That,  whereas  the  Composers  and  Reviewers  of  the 
Old  Translation  had  nothing  else  in  their  Eye,  but  to  give  us  the  true 
Sense  of  each  place  in  as  few  Words  as  could  be  in  Verse,  and,  there- 
fore, keep  close  to  the  Text,  without  deviating  from  it,  upon  any 
account:  In  this  New  Translation,  there  is  so  much  regard  had  to 
the  Poetry,  the  Style,  the  Running  of  the  Verse,  and  such-like  in- 
considerable Circumstances,  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  avoid 
going  from  the  Text,  and  altering  the  true  Sense  and  Meaning  of  it. 
For,  hence  it  came  to  pass,  that  although  the  Authors,  doubtless, 
designed  a  true  Translation,  yet  other  things  crowding  into  their 
Heads  at  the  same  time,  justled  that  Design  so,  that  it  could  not 
always  take  effect."  ^^ 

We  conclude  that  the  impression  made  by  the  New  Ver- 
sion upon  the  lovers  of  the  old  Psalter  was  not  very  differ- 
ent from  that  it  makes  upon  ourselves.  They  recognized 
in  it  the  proposal  of  a  new  standard  in  Church  of  England 
Psalmody,  a  proposed  exchange  of  the  Reformation  prin- 
ciple of  a  close  translation  of  the  letter  of  Scripture  for  that 
of  a  rhetorical  paraphrase. 

And  this  perception  on  their  part  determined  and  limited 
the  career  of  the  New  Version  within  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land. It  never  became  the  Psalter  of  the  whole  Church. 
It  never  dispossessed  the  Old  Version  in  many  a  village  and 
country  side  parish,  where,  partly  from  conviction,  partly 
owing  to  the  force  of  use  and  wont,  successive  generations 
of  the  congregations  went  on  singing  the  Old  Version  until 
well  toward  the,  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century.  But  it 
worked  its  way,  often  against  resistance,  into  one  and  an- 
other parish  church  of  London  and  its  neighborhood,  until 
it  became  preeminently  the  London  Psalter,  and  into  widen- 
ing circles  beyond,  as  those  concerned  for  the  improvement 
of  Psalmody  were  able  to  have  their  way. 

On  the  whole,  the  influence  of  the  New  Version  was 
very  considerable.  It  set  up  in  the  Church  of  England  a 
new  standard  of  Psalmody,  with  the  same  authorization  as 

''Pp.  39-41- 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      51 

the  older  one,— that  of  a  Paraphrase  which  had  something 
of  the  freer  lyrical  spirit  of  the  Hymn  as  against  the  re- 
strictions of  the  Metrical  Psalm.  It  is  not  unfair  to  say 
that  the  spirit  and  tendency  of  the  New  Version  appears 
in  the  fact  that  it  proved  most  acceptable  to  those  least  bent 
on  maintaining  the  older  type  of  Psalmody  and  whose 
minds  were  turning  toward  hymns;  that  a  movement  to- 
ward introducing  them  was  connected  with  it,  apparently 
from  the  beginning,  and  that  by  means  of  its  "Supplement" 
it  l^ecame  the  actual  medium  by  which  hymns  were  intro- 
duced into  many  churches  in  and  beyond  London. 

(2)  The  second  line  of  the  development  of  the  Hymn  t/ 
from  the  Metrical  Psalm  was  by  way  of  an  effort  to  accom- 
modate the  Scriptural  text  to  the  circumstances  of  present 
day  zvorshippers. 

In  the  first  enthusiasm  at  being  in  the  possession  of  God's 
word  in  the  vernacular,  there  was  no  desire  to  choose  among 
Psalms  equally  inspired;  and  the  custom  was  to  sing  the 
Psalter  through  in  course.  But  after  some  experience  the 
Reformed  clergy  in  all  the  Churches  exercised  the  right  of 
selection.  Even  so  there  remained  the  inconvenience  of 
singing  certain  statements  in  the  selected  Psalms  inappli- 
cable to  the  congregation.  This  became  more  conspicuous 
when  each  statement  was  put  into  the  congregation's  mouth 
separately  and  distinctly  in  the  process  of  "lining  out''  be- 
fore singing.  In  England  both  the  selection  and  the  lining 
of  the  psalm  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  parish  clerk.^  And 
to  him  fell  consequently  the  opportunity  of  omitting  or 
even  altering  any  lines  he  regarded  as  inopportune.  While 
freely  exercised,  the  remedy  was  irregular,  inconvenient  to 
those  who  could  read,  and  dependent  at  best  upon  the  dis- 
cretion and  readiness  of  a  class  of  officials  not  characteris- 
tically gifted  with  either.  The  difficulty  was  in  fact  in- 
herent in  the  strict  conception  of  Psalmody  itself,  and 
hardly  capable  of  remedy  within  its  own  limits. 

A  much  more  serious  inconvenience  in  confining  the  con- 
gregational praise  to  the  Psalter  made  itself  felt  in  Eng- 


52  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

land  as  it  was  felt  in  every  country  where  the  Reformed 
cultus  had  been  introduced.  It  arose  from  the  fact  that  the 
canonical  Psalms  represented  one  dispensation  and  the  wor- 
shippers another;  and  the  difficulty  was  that  of  satisfying 
Christian  devotion  with  the  songs  of  an  earlier  stage  of 
revelation.  In  all  Reformed  Churches  the  congregations 
had  been  duly  trained  in  the  evangelical  interpretation  of  the 
Psalms;  and  its  expression  was  a  commonplace  of  preaching 
and  public  prayer.  The  individual  believer  was  of  course 
expected  to  have  in  mind  the  evangelical  implications  of 
what  he  sang;  but  nevertheless  it  remained  true  that  the 
Psalmody  was  his  peculiar  opportunity  for  expression  in  the 
church  service,  and  that  in  Psalmody  he  could  not  name 
his  Saviour's  name.  There  was  no  real  solution  of  this 
difficulty  short  of  the  inauguration  of  a  Christian  Hym- 
nody;  and  toward  this  solution  the  Psalmody  of  all  coun- 
tries inevitably  tended. 

In  England  toward  the  end  of  the  XVIIth  century  the 
mass  of  the  people  were  not  ready  for  so  radical  a  change, 
and  the  expedient  suggested  itself  of  accommodating  the 
Psalmody  to  the  circumstances  of  the  Christian  dispensation 
by  introducing  the  familiar  evangelical  interpretations  of 
the  Psalms  into  their  actual  text.  In  this  way  it  seemed  pos- 
sible to  attain  the  desired  end,  while  leaving  the  accustomed 
form  and  manner  of  Psalmody  entirely  unimpaired  and  with 
changes  in  the  words  of  inspiration  only  in  the  sense  of 
interpreting  them. 

The  name  of  Dr.  Watts  became,  from  the  second  decade 
of  the  XVIIIth  century,  so  inevitably  associated  with  this 
method  of  accommodating  the  Psalms,  and  his  influence 
told  so  overwhelmingly  in  favor  of  its  adoption  and  spread, 
that  it  becomes  difficult  to  realize  that  he  was  not  the  in- 
ventor of  it.  He  had,  however,  an  English  predecessor  in 
John  Patrick,  "Preacher  to  the  Charter-House,  London." 

Patrick  was  one  of  the  divines  who  hoped  to  remedy  the 
low  estate  of  Psalmody  in  the  Church  of  England  after 
the  Restoration  by  producing  a  version  of  the  Psalms  more 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      53 

acceptable  than  Sternhold  and  Hopkins.  He  published  in 
1 679  A  Century  of  select  Psalms  and  portions  of  the  Psalms 
of  David,  especially  those  of  praise.  His  work  had  less  in- 
fluence in  the  Church  of  England  than  with  Nonconform- 
ists. Richard  Baxter  in  1681^^  contrasts  the  work  of  the 
brothers  Patrick.  One  by  his  Friendly  Debate  has  done  all 
in  his  power  to  destroy  concord,  the  other  by  his  Psalms 
"hath  so  far  reconciled  the  nonconformists  that  divers  of 
them  use  his  Psalms  in  their  congregations,  though  they 
have  their  old  ones,  Rouses  .  .  .  the  New  Englands  .  .  . 
the  Scots  (agreed  on  by  two  nations)"  and  others,  ''in 
competition  with  it." 

Dr.  Watts^''  attributed  the  welcome  given  to  Patrick's 
version  by  Nonconformists  to  the  fact  "that  he  hath  made 
use  of  the  present  language  of  Christianity  in  several 
Psalms,  and  left  out  many  of  the  Judaisms." 

"This,"  he  says,  "is  the  Thing  that  hath  introduced  him  into  the 
Favour  of  so  many  religious  Assemblies.  Even  those  very  Persons  that 
have  an  Aversion  to  sing  any  thing  in  Worship  but  David's  Psalms 
have  been  led  insensibly  to  fall  in  with  Dr.  Patrick's  Performance  by 
a  Relish  of  pious  Pleasure;  never  considering  that  his  Work  is  by  no 
means  a  just  Translation,  but  a  Paraphrase;  and  there  are  scarce  any 
that  have  departed  farther  from  the  inspired  Words  of  Scripture  than 
he  hath  often  done,  in  order  to  suit  his  Thoughts  to  the  State  and 
Worship  of  Christianity.  This  I  esteem  his  peculiar  Excellency  in 
those  Psalms  wherein  he  has  practis'd  it." 

In  this  spirit  of  accommodation  to  Christian  feeling  Pat- 
rick did  not  hesitate  to  introduce  the  name  of  Christ,  and 
to  address  to  Him  specifically  passages  inviting  such  inter- 
pretation.^*^ 

Patrick  also,  as  his  title-page  indicates,  exercised  freely 
the  right  of  selection,  the  same  privilege,  he  asserts  in  his 

^'Preface  to  his  Poetical  Fragments. 

^'Preface  to  The  Psalms  of  David  imitated,  1719;  p.  vi. 

*°E.  g.,  Psalm  cxviii,  part  2,  verse  26: — 

"Blest  Saviour !  that  from  God  to  us 

On  this  kind  errand  came. 
We  welcome  thee ;  and  bless  all  those 
That  spread  thy  Glorious  Fame." 


54  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

preface,  as  every  parish  clerk  practises;  and  he  frankly 
avows  that  there  is  much  in  the  Psalter  iinsuited,  in  his 
opinion,  to  Christian  use.  In  the  preface  to  A  Century  of 
Psalms,  he  says : 

"I  considered  and  pitched  upon,  those  Psalms  or  portions  of  them 
which  were  most  proper  and  of  most  general  use  to  us  Chris- 
tians. .  .  .  But  I  balked  those  whose  whole  aspect  was  upon  David's 
personal  troubles,  or  Israel's  particular  condition,  or  related  to  the 
Jewish  and  legal  Oeconomy,  ...  or  where  they  express  a  temper 
not  so  suitable  to  the  mild  and  gentle  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  such  as  our 
Saviour  repressed  in  his  Disciples,  not  allowing  imprecations  of 
vengeance  against  our  Enemies,  but  rather  praying  for  them;  espe- 
cially when  that  prophetick  spirit  do's  not  now  rest  upon  us,  that  did 
upon  David.  .  .  ." 

The  popularity  of  Patrick's  version  made  these  princi- 
ples of  evangelical  interpretation  and  of  selection  familiar  in 
Nonconformist  circles,  and  did  something  to  undermine  the 
supremacy  of  the  Old  Version  within  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, into  some  of  whose  parishes  Patrick's  version  gradu- 
ally worked  its  way.  By  1691  his  Century  had  reached  its 
fifth  edition,  and  in  that  year  he  rounded  it  out  to  a  full 
version  of  the  Psalter,  which  continued  to  be  reprinted  till 
the  middle  of  the  XVIIIth  century  as  The  Psalms  of  David 
in  metre:  fitted  to  the  times  used  in  parish-churches. 

But  Patrick's  special  importance  is  as  the  forerunner  and 
exemplar  of  Dr.  Watts,  who  in  his  work  of  turning  the 
Psalms  into  Christian  hymns  frankly  announced  himself  as 
following  out  more  fully  the  lines  instituted  by  Patrick.  The 
full  extent  of  Watts'  obligations  to  his  predecessor  is  indeed 
somewhat  surprising.  They  cover  not  only  the  rhetorical 
style  and  rhythmical  treatment,  but  extend  to  Uie  language 
itself.  Many  lines  in  the  two  versions  are  identical ;  many 
more  are  reproduced  by  Watts  with  some  alteration ;  and 
there  are  even  whole  stanzas  which  he  has  borrowed  sub- 
stantially unchanged.  Dr.  Watts  announced  his  purpose  to 
be  to  "exceed"  Dr.  Patrick  by  applying  his  method  to  every 
Psalm  and  by  improving  upon  his  verse."* ^ 

*'Preface  to  The  Psalms  of  David  imitated. 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      55 

It  was  Patrick,  therefore,  who  first  occupied  successfully 
this  middle  ground  between  the  Metrical  Psalm  and  the 
English  Hymn.  Actual  priority  in  the  device  of  giving  an 
evangelical  turn  to  the  Metrical  Psalm  belongs  neither  to 
Patrick  nor  Watts.  Both  were  anticipated  by  Luther,  and 
by  the  authors  of  Psalters  in  Switzerland  and  Holland.  But 
in  England  the  priority  rests  with  Patrick. 

(3)     The  third  line  of  the  development  of  the  Hymn    / 
from  the  Metrical  Psalm  was  by  extension  of  the  principle 
of  Scripture  paraphrase  to  cover  the  evangelical  hymns  and 
other  parts  of  the  Bible. 

Such  extension  was  implicitly  recognized  in  the  original 
Calvinistic  settlement  of  Church  Song.  No  divine  prescrip- 
tion was  claimed  for  the  Psalter.  Calvin's  Genevan  Psalter 
included  as  a  matter  of  fact  such  materials  as  the  Com- 
mandments and  Nunc  Dimittis.  From  the  first  days  of 
psalm  singing  in  England,  a  series  of  efforts  began  to  pro- 
vide paraphrases  of  other  parts  of  Scripture  for  singing. 
The  Song  of  Solomon  was  especially  favored,  and  before 
the  completion  of  the  metrical  Psalter,  the  first  fourteen 
chapters  of  The  Actes  of  the  Apostles,  translated  into 
Englyshe  metre,  and  dedicated  to  the  Kyngcs  most  excellent 
Maiestye,  by  Christ  of  er  Tye,  Doctor  in  Musyke.  .  .  .  wyth 
notes  to  eche  chapter,  to  synge  and  also  to  play  upon  the 
Lute  (1553),*^  were  actually  sung  in  Edward  Vlth's  chapel. 
But  both  in  England  and  Scotland  the  zeal  of  the  people 
was  for  Psalmody,  and  the  other  paraphrases  took  no  hold. 

Versions  of  the  evangelical  canticles  and  other  Prayer 
Book  materials,  were  prefixed,  as  has  already  appeared,  to 
the  Psalter  of  1562,  without  it  may  be  any  intention  of 
church  use.  If  we  are  to  believe  Warton,  William  Whyt- 
tingham  introduced  their  use  at  once  into  his  church  at 
Durham,  "to  accommodate  every  part  of  the  service  to  the 
psalmodic  tone."  "^^     However  this  may  be,  there  was  a 

^"There  is  a  facsimile  in  Robt.  Steele,  The  earliest  English  Music 
Printing,  London,  1903,  figure  13. 

^'History  of  English  Poetry,  Hazlitt's  ed.,  1871,  vol.  iv,  p.  130. 


56  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

movement  in  the  XVHth  century  to  sing  these  paraphrases 
in  place  of  the  corresponding  prose  passages  in  the  Prayer 
Book.  One  notes  that  in  1621,  apparently  for  the  first  time, 
the  hymns  appended  to  Sternhold  and  Hopkins  are  displayed 
in  the  title,  in  The  whole  Booke  of  Psalmes:  with  the 
Hymnes  evangelicall,  and  songs  spirituall.  Composed  into 
4  parts  by  sundry  authors,  .  .  .  newly  corrected  and  en- 
larged by  Tho:  Rauenscroft.  This  was  a  private  venture, 
but  became  a  standard  in  Psalmody,  and  may  have  influenced 
or  merely  recorded  a  changing  fashion.  The  movement  to 
utilize  the  paraphrases  was  not  to  enlarge  the  Psalmody  so 
much  as  to  get  the  canticles  out  of  the  hands  of  the  choir 
and  into  those  of  the  people.  In  effect  it  made  paraphrases, 
of  the  canticles  especially,  a  part  of  Psalmody  in  numer- 
ous Puritan  churches.  It  is  surprising  to  find  that  this 
practice  survived  the  Restoration,  and  left  traces  in 
XVIIIth  century  worship.^^ 

Apart  from  this  there  was  a  movement  toward 
Scriptural  paraphrases  in  both  England  and  Scotland 
with  a  view  of  supplementing  the  felt  deficiencies  of 
Psalmody. 

In  Scotland  this  showed  itself  in  the  proceedings  result- 
ing in  the  new  Psalter  of  1649-50.  The  hymns  of  the  old 
Scottish  Psalter  seem  to  have  been  ignored,  and  attention 
was  fixed  upon  the  work  of  a  small  number  of  writers  who 
were  claimants  for  recognition. 

Foremost  among  them  was  the  influential  but  eccentric 
Zachary  Boyd,  three  times  Rector  and  twice  Vice-Chan- 
cellor  of  the  University  of  Glasgow,  in  whose  library  a 
mass  of  his  work  in  paraphrasing  Scripture  remains  in 
Ms.  Boyd  published  in  1644  The  Garden  of  Zion,  con- 
taining in  the  first  volume  metrical  histories  of  Scripture 

"  "It  ought  to  be  noted,  that  both  the  sixty-seventh  and  hundredth 
Psalms,  being  inserted  in  the  Common  Prayer-Books  in  the  ordinary 
version,  ought  so  to  be  used,  and  not  to  be  sung  in  Sternhold  and 
Hopkins,  or  any  other  metre;  as  is  now  the  custom  in  too  many 
churches."  Chas.  Wheatly,  A  rational  Illustration  of  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer,  cap.  3,  Sect.  13. 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      57 

characters,  and  in  the  second,  metrical  versions  of  Job, 
Ecclesiastes,  Proverbs  and  Solomon's  Song.  Under  a  sepa- 
rate title,  but  w^ith  continuous  paging  was  appended  The 
Holy  Songs  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament.  In  or  about 
1646  he  published  The  Psalmes  of  David  in  meeter.  The 
earliest  copy  known  is  of  the  3rd  edition  of  1648,  and  copies 
of  this  were  sent  to  most  of  the  Presbyteries  with  a  preface 
reading  like  a  challenge  to  attention.  To  this  edition  "The 
Songs  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament,"  numbering  16, 
were  appended. 

The  same  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1647  which  or- 
dered the  revision  of  Roiis's  Psalms  had  also  recommended 
"That  Mr.  Zachary  Boyd  be  at  the  paines  to  translate  the 
other  Scriptural  Songs  in  meeter,  and  to  report  his  travels 
also  to  the  Commission  of  Assembly,  that  after  their  exam- 
ination thereof,  the}^  may  send  "the  same  to  Presbyteries  to 
be  there  considered  until  the  next  Generall  Assembly."  '^■'' 
The  Assembly  of  1648,  in  sending  down  the  amended  Rons, 
also  appointed  "Master  John  Adamson  and  Mr.  Thomas 
Crafurd  to  revise  the  Labours  of  Mr.  Zachary  Boyd  upon 
the  other  Scripturall  Songs,"  with  a  view  to  reporting  them 
to  the  next  Assembly. ^^  There  is  no  record  of  such  a 
report  upon  Boyd's  songs  having  reached  the  Assembly. 
David  Leitch,  minister  of  Ellon,  had  also  presented  some 
hymns  of  his  own  to  the  Commission  of  the  Assembly  in 
1648,  who  took  steps  to  further  his  labors,  but  do  not 
seem  to  have  brought  them  before  the  Assembly  itself."^^ 
In  February,  1650,  the  Commission  called  upon  the  Rev. 
Robert  Lowrie,  then  of  Edinburgh,  to  exhibit  his  work  in 
versifying  the  Scripture  songs. 

With  this  request  the  effort  to  introduce  Scripture  songs 
ceased,  and  the  new  Psalter  appeared  without  them.  This 
result  has  been  attributed  somewhat  vaguely  to  the  "troub- 

*''Acts  of  the  General  Assemblies,  163S-1649;  ed.  1691,  p.  354. 
*7bid.,  p.  428. 

*'See  D.  J.  Maclagan,  The  Scottish  Paraphrases,  Edinburgh,  1889, 
PP-  2,  3. 


58  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 


lous  times."  *^  The  record  itself  suggests  a  sufficient  ex- 
planation in  the  evident  fact  that  the  songs  offered  as  avail- 
able did  not  commend  themselves  to  the  Assembly  or  its 
Commission;  a  situation  readily  accounted  for  by  an  ex- 
amination of  Boyd's  crude  work.  We  may  agree  with 
Maclagan^^  that  those  who  had  the  improvement  of  the 
Psalmody  in  hand  thought  it  prudent  to  have  the  new 
Psalter  established  as  soon  as  possible  without  waiting  for 
Scriptural  songs,  which  they  expected  would  follow  as  soon 
as  a  collection  could  be  agreed  on.  With  this  expectation  the 
"troublous  times"  no  doubt  interfered. 

In  the  years  preceding  the  Revolution  Patrick  Symson, 
an  "outed"  minister,  deprived  of  his  benefice  at  Renfrew, 
occupied  his  compelled  leisure  by  paraphrasing  Scripture. 
He  published  in  1685  a  little  book  of  Spiritual  Songs  or 
holy  Poems.  A  garden  of  true  delight,  containing  all  the 
Scripture-Songs  that  are  not  in  the  Book  of  Psalms,  to- 
gether with  several  sweet  prophetical  and  evangelical  Scrip- 
tures, meet  to  he  composed  into  songs.  Translated  into 
English  meefer,  and  fitted  to  be  sung  with  any  of  the  com- 
mon tunes  of  the  Psalms  (Edinburgh:  Anderson). 

Symson's  preface  assumes  that  the  Church's  purpose  to 
add  the  other  Scriptural  songs  to  the  Psalms  still  holds 
good;  and  in  this  he  was  plainly  justified,  as  after-proceed- 
ings showed.  But  his  preface  recognizes  also  that  in  "put- 
ting many  more  Scriptures  into  song  than  were  intended 
for  such  by  the  Spirit,"  he  is  merely  trying  experiments, 
the  success  of  which  the  Church  must  judge. 

The  General  Assembly  resumed  its  sessions  after  the 
Revolution  of  1689;  and  in  December,  1695,  Symson  be- 
came its  moderator.  In  the  month  following,  there  was  a 
reference  of  his  Spiritual  Songs  to  the  Commission  for  re- 
vision.^*^  Owing  to  the  loss  of  the  records  further  proceed- 
ings cannot  be  followed,  till  in  April,  1705,  the  Commission 

*'Rev.  Jas.  Mearns  in  Julian's  Dictionary  of  Hymnology,  p.  1023. 
*^The  Scottish  Paraphrases,  p.  2. 
^"See  Maclagan,  op.  cit.,  p.  6. 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      59 

was  directed  to  revise  Symson's  book  for  public  use,  and  re- 
port to  the  next  Assembly.  The  work  was  put  into  the 
hands  of  two  committees,  one  for  the  East,  and  one  for  the 
West.  The  committees  agreed  to  exclude  Symson's  experi- 
ments in  versifying  passages  of  Scripture  that  were  not 
songs,  so  far  as  their  public  use  was  concerned,  "seeing  if 
other  places  of  Holy  Scripture  should  be  turned  into  meeter, 
there  would  be  no  end."  But  they  reported  26  versions  of 
Scripture  songs  as  available  after  revision  by  a  hand  skilled 
in  "poecie."  These  the  Assembly  of  1706  sent  down  to 
the  Presbyteries  for  examination  and  report. ^^  So  slight 
was  the  response  that  the  Assembly  of  1707  continued  the 
reference.^^  That  of  1708  ordered  the  Commission  to  ex- 
amine the  songs  in  the  light  of  amendments  suggested  by 
Presbyteries,  and  then  to  establish  and  issue  them  for  pub- 
lic use,  as  was  formerly  done  with  the  Psalms  in  1649."^ 
The  Commission  appealed  to  the  Synods  for  help  in  the 
matter,  and  failed  to  elicit  any  of  consequence.  It  became 
plain  that  the  Church  felt  no  interest  in  the  songs  offered 
it,  and  the  Commission  allowed  the  whole  project  to  drop.^^ 
This  whole  movement  toward  paraphrases  in  Scotland 
presents  some  curious  features.  We  see,  on  the  one  hand, 
a  stirring  within  the  church  of  dissatisfaction  with  the  cur- 
rent Psalmody  and  of  sympathy  with  the  movement  of  the 
time  to  modify  it.  We  see  the  ideal  of  the  Hymn  evolving 
itself  in  men's  minds,  and  gradually  seeking  expression  in 
their  work.  We  see,  on  the  other  hand,  practical  hindrances 
preventing  any  realization  of  the  ideal  in  Scotland.  There 
was,  to  begin  with,  the  prejudice  of  the  plain  people  in 
favor  of  the  familiar  Psalms.  There  was  also  the  hindrance 
from  leadership  which  did  not  see  its  way  clearly,  and  was 
misled  by  the  ambitious  influences  of  authorship.  But  the 
greatest  hindrance  of  all  was  the  paraphrasers  themselves, 

^^Acts  of  the  General  Assembly,  Edinburgh,  1843,  p.  392. 

^-Ibid.,  p.  419. 

"'Ibid.,  p.  430. 

^^See  Maclagan,  op.  cit.,  p.  9. 


6o  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

whose  work  seemed  to  be  the  only  available  embodiment  of 
the  new  movement.  Their  work  was  of  a  quality  so  poor, 
so  far  below  even  the  standard  of  the  Metrical  Psalms,  that 
it  gave  even  those  most  zealous  for  enlarging  the  Psalmody 
a  feeling  of  helplessness  and  indecision,  soon  merging  into 
hopelessness. 

In  Scotland,  then,  we  have  first  to  note  the  work  of  Boyd 
and  Symson  as  marking  the  beginning  of  the  development 
of  the  Hymn  from  the  Psalm,  and  then  to  note  that  their 
work  became  practically  a  bar  to  the  introduction  of  para- 
phrases into  Scotland.  The  attempt  to  introduce  their  work 
into  public  use  reacted  in  favor  of  pure  Psalmody.  The  de- 
sire for  other  Scripture  songs  never  perhaps  died  out,  but 
when  those  of  Symson  were  consigned  to  oblivion  in  1709 
the  whole  movement  followed  them,  not  to  emerge  again 
until  the  general  Assembly  of  1741. 

In  England  the  contemporaneous  movement  to  supple- 
ment the  Psalms  with  other  Scripture  songs  found  its  fullest 
expression  in  the  work  of  William  Barton.  Barton  has 
been  well  described  as  a  "conforming  Puritan,"  and  was 
probably  vicar  of  St.  Martin's,  Leicester,  at  his  death.  Dur- 
ing the  whole  of  the  Civil  War  period  and  long;  after  the 
Restoration  he  pursued  two  projects  for  the  betterment  of 
Church  Song  with  unflagging  zeal.  He  stands  at  and,  it 
must  be  said,  he  crosses  the  dividing  line  between  the  old 
Psalmody  and  the  new  Hymnody,  and  his  work  faces  both 
ways. 

His  earlier  project  was  in  line  with  the  Puritan  demand 
for  a  "purer"  version  of  the  Psalter.  He  published  in  1644 
The  Book  of  Psalms  in  metre  close  and  proper  to  the 
Hebrew.  It  was  favorably  received,  and  its  third  edition 
(1646)  was  recommended  by  the  Lords  to  the  Westminster 
Assembly  as  their  preferred  version.  The  contest  between 
the  partisans  of  Rous  and  Barton  prevented  any  version 
from  receiving  the  imprimatur  of  Parliament.  It  was  a 
great  sorrow  to  Barton  that  his  version  failed  to  displace 
the  old  Psalter,  but  the  substance  of  it  entered  to  some 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      6i 

extent   into   the   Scottish  Psalms   of  David   in   meeter  of 
1650. 

In  the  preface  to  his  Psalter  Barton  gave  preeminence  to 
the  Psalms,  and  emphasized  their  appropriateness  to  present 
day  use.  But  in  1659  he  took  an  opposite  direction,  and 
published  A  Century  of  select  Hymns,  increased  in  1670  to 
Two  Centiiries,^^  and,  after  his  death,  published  complete 
by  his  son  as  Six  Centuries  of  select  Hymns  and  Spiritual 
Songs  collected  out  of  the  Holy  Bible  (London,  1688). 

In  the  preface  to  the  Centuries,  Barton  came  out  boldly 
for  hymns,  with  the  proviso  that  they  be  founded  on  Scrip- 
ture. He  cited  the  example  of  the  Apostles  and  early 
Church  and  of  the  Bohemian  Brethren.  The  hymns  of  the 
Latin  Church,  on  the  other  hand,  proved  how  "horrid  blas- 
phemy" creeps  into  hymns  forsaking  the  Scripture  basis. 
He  condemns  the  "Complaint  of  a  Sinner"  and  "Humble 
Sute"  in  the  Old  Version  as  nonsensical  or  erroneous.  But 
in  applying  his  principle  to  his  own  work,  he  allowed  him- 
self great  liberties.  It  was  enough  that  his  hymns  were 
"collected  out  of  the  Bible."  He  selects  passages  and  in- 
dividual texts  from  one  Testament  or  both,  turns  them  into 
verses,  and  weaves  them  into  the  unity  of  a  mosaic  hymn : 
each  hymn  and  often  each  stanza  being  preceded  by  the 
"proof  texts."  Three  of  his  Six  Centuries  are  "Psalm 
Hymns,"  in  which  he  deals  in  the  same  way  with  the 
Psalms,  omitting  what  he  regards  as  unsuitable,  and  ex- 
pounding "dark  passages." 

Are  these  productions  translations  or  paraphrases  or 
hymns?    In  relation  to  the  individual  texts  dealt  with  they 

°°Some  malign  influences  were  working  against  Barton.  He  com- 
plains that  the  appearance  of  his  Two  Centuries  was  obstructed  for 
three  years  by  fraud  and  injuriousness;  that  Fottr  Centuries  appeared 
in  1668  without  his  knowledge  and  through  deceit;  that  the  adoption 
of  his  Psalter  was  thwarted  by  enemies;  and  that  an  edition  of  1500 
was  printed  by  stealth  to  supply  Scottish  churches  that  much  pre- 
ferred it  to  the  officially  adopted  Psalms  in  meeter.  Barton's  protest 
that  he  had  no  aim  but  that  of  promoting  godliness  perhaps  furnishes 
a  key.  Some  may  have  thought  so  much  zeal  had  an  eye  for  personal 
glory  and  profit,  and  have  set  about  to  diminish  or  share  them. 


62  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

are  translations,  adhering  closely  to  the  English  prose  ver- 
sion. In  their  freedom  in  handling  and  combining  unre- 
lated texts,  they  suggest  the  paraphrase.  In  motive  and 
intention  and  in  their  general  effect  they  are  clearly  hymns. 
Their  author  so  named  them :  they  were  so  regarded  by  his 
contemporaries^^  and  by  the  hymn  writers  who  followed 
him.^^ 

Barton's  work  thus  occupies  the  very  point  of  transition 
between  the  Metrical  Psalm  and  the  Hymn,  and  its  influence 
was  very  marked  upon  English  Hymnody.  In  his  own 
Church  his  immediate  influence  was  barred  by  the  Restora- 
tion, when  the  singing  of  Sternhold  and  Hopkins  was  re- 
sumed just  where  it  had  left  off  at  the  Puritan  Revolution, 
and  without  spirit  enough  to  seek  improvement.  But  among 
the  Independents  Barton's  hymns  as  well  as  his  psalms  were 

^^In  a  copy  of  the  1688  ed.  of  the  Centuries  a  contemporary  Ms.  index 
is  bound  in,  showing  "In  what  page  of  the  Hymn  Book  Composed  by 
Mr.  Wm.  Barton  to  find  any  Scripture  Therein  translated." 

""These  hymns  of  Mr.  Barton":  Simon  Browne,  Hymns,  1720, 
preface.  The  following  (from  Century  I)  will  illustrate  Barton's- 
method  and  manner: — 

HYMN  151.    Mediator. 
All  People,  &c. 
/  Ti7n.  2.  5. 

ONE  God  there  is,  and  one  alone, 

and   Mediator  none  but  one; 
The  man  whom  we  Christ  Jesus  call, 

who  gave  himself  full  price   for  all. 

/  Joh.  2.  I,  3. 

If  any  sin,  we  have  on  high 

an  Advocate  to  qualifie, 
Jesus  the  Just,  whose  blood  was  spilt 

to  expiate  our  hanious  guilt. 

Rev.  5-   13- 
Blessing  and  glory  and  renown 

to  him  that  on  the  Throne  sits  down. 
And  to  the  Lamb  of  God  therefore 

be  praise  and  honour  evermore. 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      63 

widely  introduced  and  used  in  some  places  for  a  long  time/'^ 
They  accustomed  the  people  to  New  Testament  song  and 
to  a  freer  handling  of  Scripture  than  obtained  under  Psalm- 
ody. It  was  among  the  Independents  that  the  new  school 
of  hymn  writers  was  to  arise  and  conquer  the  churches. 
And  it  was  on  them  that  Barton's  influence  told  most,  and 
through  them  that  he  helped  to  fix  the  type  and  character  of 
the  English  Hymn  as  based  upon  Scripture  and  saturated 
with  it.  There  was  no  essential  difference  between  Barton's 
hymns  collected  out  of  Scripture  and  the  succeeding  hymns 
based  upon  Scripture.  Dr.  Watts  in  the  preface  to  his 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  of  1 707,  has  his  eye  on  Barton 
when  he  says :  'T  might  have  brought  some  Text  or  other, 
and  applied  it  to  the  Margin  of  every  Verse  if  this  method 
had  been  as  Useful  as  it  was  easy."  °^ 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 
FROM  DEVOTIONAL  POETRY 

I.     Lack  of  the  Hymnic.  Motive  in  Pre-Restoration 
Poets,  Except  Wither 

The  Reformation  settlement  of  Congregational  Song  on 
the  basis  of  the  Metrical  Psalm  was  a  turning  away  from  the 
historic  source  of  Hymnody  in  the  Latin  Church.  It  in- 
volved also  an  indefinite  postponement  of  any  enterprise  to- 
ward producing  an  original  English  Hymnody.  The  few 
original  hymns  appended  to  the  Psalters  were  not  so  much 
a  promise  and  beginning  of  such  a  Hymnody  as  a  closing  of 
the  account.  In  Churches  given  over  to  the  singing  of 
metrical  versions  of  Scripture  the  motive  toward  producing 
hymns  was  largely  lacking.  Verse  writing  suggested  by 
ideals  of  worship  took  the  current  form  of  paraphrasing 

°*The  last  ed.  of  the  Centuries  was  in  1768. 
^T.  xi. 


64  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

the  Psalms.  Devotional  verse  felt  free  to  clothe  itself  in 
elaborated  metres  and  to  express  itself  in  ways  alien  to  the 
unpoetic  mind.  To  Spenser  in  Elizabeth's  time  and  to 
Milton  in  the  Puritan  period  the  "Hymn"  meant  the  same 
thing.     It  was  a  religious  ode. 

Ben  Jonson,  on  the  other  hand,  kept  within  the  stricter 
limits  in  the  three  hymns  appearing  in  his  Underivoods, 
with  the  result  that  his  "Plymn  on  the  Nativity  of  my 
Saviour"  is  still  sung.^^  It  is  not  however  in  the  great  poets 
of  any  time  that  we  seek  the  origins  and  development  of 
Hymnody.  Their  genius  shrinks  from  liturgical  restraints, 
and  their  pride  from  what  Tennyson  called  the  common- 
placeness  of  hymns. 

Of  the  first  group  of  religious  poets  under  Elizabeth  and 
James,  Southwell  was  a  Roman  Catholic  priest;  and  some 
of  his  carols  and  devotional  pieces  are  now  regarded  as 
contributions  to  the  Hymnody  of  his  Church.  Sir  John 
Davies  translated  Psalms,  but  his  "Hymnes"  were  addressed 
to  Queen  Elizabeth.  The  Fletchers  aimed  at  no  contribu- 
tion to  Hymnody,  though  the  "Drop,  drop,  slow  tears"  of 
Phineas  has  been  recently  adopted. *^^  Donne  was  a  convert 
from  Catholicism,  and  wrote  generally  in  an  esoteric  style, 
but  his  touching  lyric  "Wilt  Thou  forgive"  was  frequently 
sung  in  his  presence  as  an  anthem  by  the  choristers  of  St. 
Paul's  Cathedral.*'^  Some  minor  poets  of  these  reigns,  such 
as  George  Gascoigne,  William  Plunnis,  Sir  Nicholas  Breton, 
Humfry  Gifford,  Francis  Kinwelmersh,  Timothy  Kendall 
and  John  Norden,  furnish  here  and  there  among  the  more 
numerous  Psalm  versions  a  few  simple  devotional  strains, 
generally  personal  and  meditative  and  not  intended  for 
music,  which  may  nevertheless  be  regarded  as  hymns.^^ 

Elizabeth's  reign  and  the  years  following  were  noted  for 

""  "I  sing  the  birth  was  born  to-night" ;  no.  63  in  The  Oxford  Hymn 
Book,  Clarendon  Press,  1908. 

"'No.  98  in  The  English  Hymnal,  Oxford,  1906. 

""Walton,  Lives,  1670. 

"^Most  of  them  may  be  found  in  the  three  volumes  of  Select  Poetry, 
chiefly  devotional,  published  by  the  Parker  Society. 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      65 

an  abundance  of  lyrical  poetry  adapted  to  music  for  solo 
or  part  singing  in  the  home  and  friendly  circle  to  the  ac- 
companiment of  lute  or  viol.  Among  the  song  writers  and 
musicians,  so  often  amorous  or  frankly  pagan,  Dr.  Thomas 
Campion,  who  was  unquestionably  a  poet  and  musician, 
deserves  also  to  be  ranked  as  a  hymn  writer.  In  his  Two 
Bookes  of  Ayrcs  (c.  1613),  "Pure  Hymns,  such  as  the 
Seventh  Day  loves,  do  lead,"  the  first  book  being  given 
over  to  "Diuine  and  Morall  Songs."  In  these  true  spiritual 
feeling  is  combined  with  lyrical  beauty  to  a  very  unusual 
degree,  and  a  number  are  indeed  hymns  even  in  the  practical 
sense.  His  "Never  weather-beaten  sail  more  willing  beat 
to  shore"  is  among  the  loveliest  of  the  lyrics  expressing 
the  heavenly-home  sickness,  and  was  included  by  Josiah 
Conder  in  his  Congregational  Hymn  Book  of  1836.  His 
effective  "View  me.  Lord,  a  work  of  Thine"  is  in  The 
Oxford  Hymn  Book,  and  other  lyrics  are  equally  available. 
Campion  in  his  treatise  on  Counterpoint  showed  him- 
self observant  of  the  current  Psalmody,  but  he  found 
his  way  to  the  Hymn  through  the  avenue  of  the  song 
book.«^ 

Quite  apart  from  the  song  books,  and  indeed  a  marked 
exception  to  the  general  trend  of  its  time  was  The  Hymnes 
and  Songs  of  the  Church  (1623)  of  George  Wither.  It  is 
in  two  parts,  the  first  of  Scriptural  paraphrases,  the  second 
of  hymns  for  the  festivals,  holy  days  and  special  occasions 
of  the  church.  The  hymns  show  a  remarkable  appreciation 
of  the  office  and  character  of  the  Hymn,  in  their  tone  of 
simple  piety,  their  method  and  structure.  Many  of  them 
were  repeated,  many  added,  in  Wither's  Halelviah  or, 
Britans  Second  Remembrancer  (1641),  a  personal  and 
household  handbook  of  praise. 


"For  the  song  books  see  Shorter  Eli::abethan  Poems  in  Arber's  "Eng- 
lish Garner,"  especially  A.  H.  Bullen's  introduction.  Campion,  long 
neglected,  is  now  accessible  in  Bullen's  charming  volume,  Thomas 
Campion:  songs  and  masques,  London  and  New  York,  1903,  in  "The 
Muses'  Library." 


66  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

But  the  thing  really  remarkable  is  the  appearance,  so  un- 
related to  its  time  and  surroundings,  of  this  fully  formed 
hymn  book  for  the  Church  of  England.  What  its  effect 
might  have  been  upon  the  church  worship  and  upon  the 
development  of  a  Church  Hymnody,  can  only  be  surmised. 
Wither,  in  his  ambition  and  his  sore  need  of  money,  ob- 
tained from  James  I  a  patent  that  his  Hymnes  and  Songs 
should  be  bound  up  with  every  copy  issued  of  the  metrical 
Psalter.  The  effect  of  this  extraordinary  proceeding  was 
disastrous.  It  aroused  the  animosity  of  the  Company  of 
Stationers,  who  resorted  to  every  expedient  to  make  the 
patent  a  dead  letter  until  they  secured  its  revocation.*^^ 
They  were  responsible  for  preventing  the  circulation  of 
Wither's  hymns;  as  a  result  of  which  the  hymns  soon 
passed  into  oblivion  and  left  singularly  little  influence  behind 
them.*5« 

In  the  group  of  sacred  poets  who  flourished  in  the  second 
quarter  of  the  XVI Ith  century,  Quarles,  Herbert,  Crashaw, 
Traherne  and  Vaughan,  and  even  in  Herrick  and  other  of 
the  court  group,  it  is  not  difficult  to  find  materials  more  or 
less  available  for  the  hymn  book,  even  though  no  such  use 
occurred  to  the  writers.  Quarles  had  the  ear  of  the  plain 
people,  and  contributed  six  Psalm  versions  to  the  famous 
Bay  Psalm  Book  of  1640,  but  he  had  little  lyrical  feeling. 
It  has  been  thought"^  that  some  of  his  Emblems  might  be 
adapted  as  hymns.  But  Traherne's  "An  Hymn  upon  St. 
Bartholomew's  Day"  is  merely  meditative  verse.  Herbert 
delighted  in  sacred  song,  often  singing  his  own  pieces  to 
the  viol.  His  actual  connection  with  Hymnody  came 
through  the  appearance  in  1697  of  Select  Hymns  from  Mr. 

""See  E.  Farr's  preface  to  his  reprint  of  The  Hymnes  and  Songs 
in  the  "Library  of  Old  Authors" :  and  cf.  Notes  and  Queries  for 
week  ending  January  13,  1912. 

""Two  have  been  rescued,  and  have  found  a  modest  place  in  modern 
use: — "Come,  O  come,  with  pious  lays,"  and  "Behold  the  Sun  that 
seemed  but  now."     These  are  perhaps  Wither's  best. 

"'By  Dr.  Grosart,  who  yields  Quarles  considerable  unearned  space 
in  Julian's  Dictionary  of  Hymnology. 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN   67- 

Herbcrt's  Temple,  in  which  a  C.  M,  recension  of  some  of 
his  verses  was  attempted,  and  through  his  later  influence 
upon  the  Wesleys.  In  Donne's  poetry  EngHsh  devotional 
verse  had  recovered  something  of  the  churchly  and  Catholic 
spirit  which  had  been  repressed  in  the  Church  of  England, 
and  this  Herbert  inherited  from  Donne.  But  neither  sought 
or  found  the  plane  on  which  the  Congregational  Hymn 
moves.  Crashaw  learned  to  worship  in  Herbert's  Temple, 
and  published  his  own  religious  verses  as  Steps  to  the 
Temple  in  1646.  He  had  gone  over  to  the  Church  of 
Rome,  and,  apart  even  from  their  structure,  the  mystical 
contents  of  his  hymns  befit  the  ascetic  retreat  rather  than 
the  church.  He  turned  some  of  the  Latin  hymns  into 
English,  and  his  notable  version  of  Dies  Irae  is  among  the 
earliest  English  versions.  No  doubt  Vaughan,  who  also 
learned  his  spirituality  from  Herbert,  came  the  nearest  of 
the  group  to  the  spirit  and  form  of  the  Hymn.  His  Silex 
seintillans:  or  sacred  poems  and  private  eiacidations  ap- 
peared in  1650  (2nd  ed.,  1655)  ;  and  from  it  a  considerable 
number  of  hymns  have  passed  into  the  hymn  books.  Of 
these  the  best  known  are  "My  soul,  there  is  a  countrie"  and 
"Up  to  those  bright  and  glorious  hills." 

The  work  of  this  company  of  devotional  poets  of  the 
time  of  Charles  I  constitutes  no  doubt  an  epoch  in  the 
history  of  English  Sacred  Poetry,  but  it  did  not  either  in 
intent  or  in  result  mark  the  beginning  of  an  English  Hym- 
nody.  It  is  easy  to  discern  in  the  poets  a  common  purpose 
to  set  apart  their  gifts  to  devotional  use,  but  it  is  idle  to  ask 
if  they  might  not  have  dedicated  them  to  the  use  of  public 
devotions,  to  have  laid  in  other  words  the  foundation  of  an 
English  Hymnody  that  should  be  lyrical.  The  public  use 
of  hymns  rather  than  psalms  in  worship  was  not  as  yet  in 
the  air.  Of  all  the  company.  Wither  alone  had  it  in  mind, 
and  in  his  conception  the  Hymn  was  not  lyrical  but  didactic 
and  wooden,  and  as  much  Hke  current  Psalm  versions  as 
might  be;  as  his  own  proposed  Hymnes,  in  such  strong  con- 
trast with  his  poetry,  so  amply  prove. 


68  THE   ENGLISH   HYMN 

2.     The  New   Hymn  Writing   (1664-1693):  the 
Predecessors  of  Watts 

But  after  the  Restoration,  with  the  palpable  decadence 
of  the  newly  restored  Psalmody  in  the  Church  of  England, 
as  also  among  Nonconformists,  and  with  the  feeling  after 
hymns  that  was  in  both  English  and  Scottish  air,  there  came 
a  decided  change  in  the  aim  and  character  of  devotional 
verse.  The  Metrical  Psalm,  though  it  was  to  linger,  had 
played  its  part :  the  paraphrase  gave  little  satisfaction  to  the 
conscious  or  unconscious  feeling  after  hymns;  and,  with 
the  new  demand,  devotional  feeling  and  homiletic  intent 
expressed  themselves  in  English  hymns.  It  is  likely  that  the 
revival  of  the  "Catholic"  element  in  Anglicanism,  exhibited 
in  Donne's  and  Herbert's  poetry,  played  some  part  in  this 
change  by  turning  the  attention  of  many  back  to  the  old 
church  Hymnody  of  the  office  books  and  to  the  English 
versions  of  it  always  kept  extant  in  England  by  Roman 
Catholic  poets  and  in  current  books  of  private  devotions. 
This  influence  appears  in  the  "Psalms"  for  Sunday  and 
season  in  the  Sermons  and  devotions  (1659)  of  Thomas 
Pestell,  a  former  chaplain  of  Charles  I ;  and  of  which  some 
use  as  hymns  has  been  made  recently.  Jeremy  Taylor's 
The  Golden  Grove,  or  a  Manual  of  daily  Prayers  and 
Letanies  fitted  to  the  days  of  the  zveek,  (1655)  is  itself 
Primerwise,  and  its  hymns  are  "Festival  Hymns  accord- 
ing to  the  manner  of  the  Ancient  Church. "^^  Taylor, 
it  is  true,  did  not  succeed  in  finding  the  plane  of  the  Con- 
gregational Hymn,  but  it  will  appear  that  the  same  influences 
were  not  wanting  upon  some  of  the  earliest  of  his  suc- 
cessors who  did. 

With  Crossman  (1664)  and  Ken  (c.  1674)  in  ^\\q  Eng- 
lish Church,  and  Austin   (1668)   who  had  left  it  for  the 

*^Bishop  Heber  adapted  two  hymns  from  The  Golden  Grove:  "Lord, 
come  away,  why  dost  Thou  stay?"  and  "Full  of  mercy,  full  of  love" 
{Hymns,  1827).  The  former  was  improved  by  Lord  Nelson  for  The 
Sarum  Hymnal  1868,  and  passed  into  Church  Hymns  ("Draw  nigh  to 
Thy  Jerusalem,  O  Lord"). 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      69 

Roman,  we  may  begin  that  succession  of  modern  English 
hymn  writers  which  has  never  failed  up  to  the  present  time. 
Samuel  Grossman  was  one  of  the  ejected  ministers  of 
1662,  but  soon  afterward  he  conformed,  and  became  Dean 
of  Bristol.  In  1664  he  published  The  Young  Man's  Moni- 
tor, to  which  was  appended  (with  separate  pagination) 
The  Young  Mans  Meditation,  or  some  few  sacred  Poems 
upon  select  subjects  and  Scriptures.  These  are  in  the  psalm 
metres,  and  are  clearly  hymns.  That  they  were  thought 
more  likely  to  be  read  than  sung  we  may  infer  from  the 
motto  used :  "A  Verse  may  find  him  whom  a  Sermon  flies." 
Two  of  these  hymns  were  brought  to  modern  notice  by 
Lord  Selborne,  and  are  found  in  current  hymnbooks.'"'' 
Grossman's  work  suggests  Puritan  ratlier  than  Catholic 
influences. 

A  striking  group  of  thirty-nine  hymns'^*'  appeared  in 
John  Austin's  Devotions,  in  the  ancient  way  of  Offices:  zvith 
Psalms,  Hymns  and  Prayers;  for  every  day  in  the  zveck, 
and  every  holiday  in  the  year  (Paris,  1668).  It  was  a  most 
influential  book,  of  which  four  editions  preserved  its 
Roman  form ;  and  which,  modified  twice  for  Anglican  use, 
was  reprinted  as  late  as  1856.  Except  for  two  or  three  from 
Grashaw  the  hymns  are  original,^i  and  give  Austin  a  dis- 
tinguished place  among  the  earliest  English  hymn  writers. 
There  is  ample  evidence  that  these  fervid  hymns  found  im- 
mediate acceptance  beyond  the  bounds  of  Austin's  own 
Ghurch.  As  we  shall  see,  they  were  at  once  appropriated 
by  those  endeavoring  to  introduce  Hymnody  into  the  Ghurch 
of  England. 

Thomas  Ken  had  been  educated  at  Winchester  Gollege 
under  the  Puritan  regime,  and  returned  to  it  in  some 
capacity  in  1665.  In  1674  he  published  A  Manual  of 
Prayers  for  the  use  of  the  scholars  of  Winchester  College, 
which  contained  the  injunction :  "Be  sure  to  sing  the  Morn- 

"•  "My  Song  is  love  unknown,"  and  "My  Life's  a  Shade,  my  daies." 

'"43  in  3rd  ed. :  the  additions  perhaps  by  the  editor. 

"The  best  may  be  found  in  Lord  Selborne's  Book  of  Praise. 


70  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

ing  and  Evening  Hymn  in  your  chamber  devoutly."  Though 
Ken's  Morning  and  Evening  hymns,  now  so  well  known, 
were  not  included  in  the  Manual  till  after  1694,  we  may 
conclude  that  they  were  thus  in  use  within  a  few  years  of 
the  Restoration.  In  these  we  can  hardly  fail  to  recognize 
an  independent  begmning  of  modern  hymn  writing  and 
singing;  not  developed  out  of  Puritan  precedents,  but  sug- 
gested by  the  models  of  the  Breviary.  The  Latin  hymns 
had  been  sung  in  the  daily  services  of  Winchester  College 
up  to  the  Reformation,  and  not  improbably  until  Ken's 
own  school  days."^  But  in  any  case  a  Breviary,  Missal  and 
several  works  on  the  Liturgy  were  among  Ken's  cherished 
books. '''^  He  was  evidently  attracted  by  the  old  church 
ritual,  and  his  hymns  have  caught  the  tone  of  the  Breviary 
Hymns.^^ 

Bishop  Ken's  hymns  have  had  a  marked  influence  upon 
English  Hynmody  in  the  direction  of  simplicity,  but  it  must 
not  be  assumed  that  they  had  immediate  influence  upon  the 
situation  of  their  time.  The  Manual  was  a  popular  little 
book,  often  reprinted,  but  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  the 
hymns  were  not  in  it  till  the  close  of  the  XVIIth  century. 
They  were  apparently  sung  in  the  school  from  Ms.  or 
printed  sheets,  and  only  in  1692  were  published  in  a  pam- 
phlet without  Ken's  knowledge  or  approval. '^°  Until  then 
at  least  they  could  not  have  been  widely  known. 

Richard  Baxter,  an  ejected  minister  of  1662,  has  left  on 
record'''^  his  enthusiasm  for  psalm  singing,  and  left  also 
an  unpublished  version  of  the  Psalms.  But  his  Poetical 
Fragments   of    1681    contained   several    original    hymns.'^'^ 

'"See  E.  H.  Plumptre,  Life  of  Thomas  Ken,  n.  d.,  vol.  i,  p.  34. 

^^Ibid.,  vol.  ii,  appendix  ii,  p.  297. 

"Ken  plainly  knew  also  Sir  Thomas  Browne's  bedside  hymn  in 
Religio  Medici,  "The  night  is  come,  like  to  the  day." 

'^See  Dr.  Julian  in  his  Dictionary  of  Hymnology,  2nd  ed.,  p.  1650. 

'"Epistle  to  the  Reader  in  Poetical  Fragments,  1681. 

"The  hymn  "Now  [Lord]  it  belongs  not  to  my  care,"  taken  from  his 
"My  whole,  though  broken  heart,  O  Lord,"  is  still  widely  used.  His 
Paraphrase  on  the  Psalms  was  printed  in  1692. 


EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN      71 

They  were  intended  for  singing,  with  the  stanzas  numbered, 
and  a  reference  of  each  hymn  to  the  appropriate  psalm-tune. 
While  his  contribution  to  modern  Hymnody  is  but  small, 
his  figure  seems  to  have  stood  for  something  like  a  centre 
of  the  Restoration  Hymn  Movement,  as  the  close  friend  of 
Mason  and  apparently  the  begetter  of  Barton,  who  traces 
his  work  to  Baxter's  request  that  he  versify  the  Te  DcuniJ^ 

The  work  of  John  Mason,  rector  of  Water-Stratford, 
was  at  the  time  far  more  influential  than  Ken's.  He  pub- 
lished in  1683  Spiritual  Songs,  or  Songs  of  Praise  to  Al- 
mighty God  upon  several  occasions.  Together  with  the 
Song  of  Songs.  .  .  .  paraphrased  in  English  verse.  To 
this,  in  1693,  the  inferior  Penitential  Cries  of  his  friend 
Thomas  Shepherd  were  added. 

Mason's  preface  is  a  call  to  sing  God's  praises,  and  the 
songs  are  in  the  C.  M.  of  the  psalm  book,  and  numbered 
as  in  a  hymn  book.'^^  They  are  not  paraphrases,  but  free 
hymns,  and  it  is  curious  to  note  the  effort  to  connect  them 
at  least  mechanically  with  the  strict  paraphrases  of  Solo- 
mon's Song. 

Mason  worked  within  the  limits  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, but  his  close  friendship  with  Baxter  and  the  associa- 
tion of  his  work  with  that  of  the  nonconformist  Shepherd, 
indicate  no  doubt  his  real  position  and  sympathies.  The 
great  circulation  and  influence  of  his  hymns  was  among 
Nonconformists.  His  book  was  in  its  8th  edition  at  the 
date  of  the  appearance  of  Watts'  Hymns.  Mason's  work 
had  a  great  influence  on  Watts,  and  must  be  credited  with 
a  considerable  share  both  in  moulding  and  in  popularizing 
the  English  Hymn. 

It  thus  appears  that  between  the  dates  of  the  Restoration 
and  the  Revolution  there  arose  a  not  inconsiderable  group 
of  original  hymn  writers,  whose  work  in  volume,  in  char- 
acter, and  in  influence,  counted  for  something  in  the  history 

.  "See  "Epistle"  in  his  Two  Centuries. 
"  "My  Lord,  my  Love,  was  crucified,"  and  "Now  from  the  altar  of 
my  heart,"  are  the  most  familiar. 


^2  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

of  the  English  Hymn.  It  is  clear  that  these  earlier  writers 
deprive  Dr.  Watts  of  that  extreme  originality  often  ascribed 
to  him  as  "The  father  of  the  English  Hymn."  And  yet  we 
shall  not  be  far  out  of  the  way  if  we  regard  this  earlier 
group  as  the  Predecessors  of  Dr.  Watts.  Their  work  was 
necessarily  somewhat  tentative,  because  it  was  not  until  the 
appearance  of  Watts'  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  in  1707 
that  the  type  of  the  English  Hymn  was  definitely  de- 
termined. 


CHAPTER  II 
THE  LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS 

I 

THE  DENOMINATIONAL  DIVISIONS  OF  CHURCH 
SONG  AT  THE  RESTORATION  (1660) 

We  have  considered  the  development  of  the  Enghsh 
Hymn  from  the  Metrical  Psalm.  As  the  Metrical  Psalm 
had  been  originally  cast  into  the  mould  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Hymn,  the  change  was  in  the  subject  matter  rather 
than  in  the  form.  This  change  we  have  followed  through 
its  several  phases,  from  a  close  translation  of  canonical 
Scripture,  to  a  freer  paraphrase  first  of  Psalms  then  of 
other  Scriptural  songs,  and  up  to  the  point  where  the  pur- 
pose of  turning  Scriptural  materials  into  metre  met  the 
impulse  to  give  hymnic  form  to  devotional  poetry,  and 
coincided  in  the  production  of  hymns,  freely  composed  and 
yet  more  or  less  based  upon  Scripture. 

The  movement  toward  hymns  was  always  a  liturgical 
one.  It  had  for  its  motive  the  enrichment  of  English  wor- 
ship rather  than  of  English  literature.  The  same  thing  was 
true  of  the  Hymn  Movement  in  the  period  following  the 
Restoration.  But  what  gave  it  special  significance  was  the 
weakened  hold  of  the  old  Psalmody  upon  the  people,  the 
number  of  men  who  concerned  themselves  with  the  new 
movement,  and  the  acceptable  character  of  the  new  hymns 
themselves.  Under  such  conditions  hymn  singing  began 
to  be  practicable,  and  there  followed  almost  at  once  a  series 
of  experiments  in  that  direction,  out  of  which  has  developed 
the  now  general  practice  of  singing  hymns  in  English-speak- 
ing Churches. 

73 


74  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

We  have  now,  therefore,  to  trace  these  early  efforts  to 
introduce  the  new  hymns  into  public  worship.  They  lie 
within  the  same  period  as  the  tentative  hymn  writing  with 
which  they  were  closely  related;  beginning  soon  after  the 
Restoration  of  1660,  and  culminating  with  the  publication 
in  1707  of  Watts'  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs,  which 
marked  an  epoch  in  the  use  of  hymns  as  well  as  in  their 
composition. 

During  the  whole  of  this  period  we  may  exclude  Scot- 
land from  consideration ;  for  such  movement  toward  hymns 
as  appeared  there  during  these  years  did  not  get  beyond 
the  "Scripture  Songs"  stage,  and  even  so  far  was  quite 
ineffective. 

Turning  to  England,  it  is  to  find  the  ecclesiastical  situa- 
tion such  as  makes  impracticable  anything  like  a  concerted 
movement  to  introduce  hymns  into  worship.  At  the  Restora- 
tion the  Church  of  England  regains  its  established  position 
and  reinstates  the  Prayer  Book  services.  The  various  com- 
munities already  formed  outside  the  church,  principally 
Independents,  Baptists  and  Friends,  refuse  to  conform  to 
these  services,  and  become  "dissenters."  The  Presbyterian 
elements  which  had  maintained  Puritan  ideals  of  worship 
within  the  Church  are  by  the  ejectment  of  their  clergy  in 
1662  forced  to  take  up  a  position  alongside  the  dissenters. 
This  whole  body  of  dissent,  beyond  agreeing  in  disuse  of 
the  Prayer  Book,  fails  to  find  a  common  basis  for  worship ; 
and  each  of  the  new  sects  proceeds  to  deal  with  questions 
of  worship  in  its  own  way.  The  breach  in  the  uniformity 
of  English  worship  thus  becomes  permanent.  The  Con- 
venticle Act  of  1664  does  nothing  to  heal  the  breach,  and 
very  little  in  the  way  of  suppressing  the  novel  types  of 
worship. 

As  with  worship  in  general  in  the  Restoration  period,  so 
with  Congregational  Song  in  particular.  It  ceases  to  be  a 
common  stream,  but  divides  into  denominational  branches. 
Along  these  branches  severally  we  have  to  look  for  the 
introduction  of  hymns  into  public  worship. 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS      75 
II 

JOHN  PLAYFORD  LEADS  A  MOVEMENT  TO  IN- 
TRODUCE HYMN  SINGING  IN  THE  RE- 
ESTABLISHED CHURCH  (1671-1708) 

In  resuming  the  Prayer  Book  services  and  the  old  Psalm- 
ody at  the  Restoration,  there  was  much  needing  to  be  re- 
habilitated. The  dilapidations  of  the  Commonwealth  period 
told  most  severely  against  worship  of  the  cathedral  or 
choral  type.  The  choirs  had  been  scattered,  and  many  of 
the  organs  destroyed.  But  even  the  reinstatement  of  Con- 
gregational Psalmody  in  parish  churches  was  effected  with 
some  difficulty.  The  authorities  were  indifferent,  the  people 
unconcerned  and  irreverent,  and  the  ability  to  read  and  sing 
music  was  largely  lost.  John  Playford  tells  us  that  "almost 
all  the  choice  tunes  are  lost,  and  out  of  use  in  our 
Churches."^  The  practice  of  lining  out  the  psalm  had  come 
in,  but  even  in  London  there  were  few  parish  cferks  who 
could  set  the  tune  correctly: — "It  having  been  a  custom 
during  the  late  wars  and  since  to  choose  men  into  such 
places,  more  for  their  poverty  than  skill  or  ability,  whereby 
this  part  of  God's  service  hath  been  so  ridiculously  per- 
formed in  most  places  that  it  is  now  brought  into  scorn  and 
derision  by  many  people."^ 

It  was  in  connection  with  his  efforts  to  improve  these 
musical  conditions  that  John  Playford  attempted  to  intro- 
duce the  new  hymns  into  parochial  worship.  He  was  a 
music  publisher  of  prominence,  with  a  shop  in  the  Inner 
Temple,  and  since  1653  parish  clerk  of  the  Temple  Church.^ 
His  Introduction  to  the  skill  of  Musick  (London,  1654)  was 
already  a  standard  when  in  1671  he  issued  his  Psalms  and 
Hymns  in  solemn  musick  of  foure  parts  on  the  common 

^Preface  to  Psalms  and  Hymns,  1671. 

Hhid. 

^The  account  of  this  interesting  man  in  The  Dictionary  of  National 
Biography  needs  to  be  corrected  by  that  in  Grove's  Dictionary  of  Music; 
and  the  numerous  allusions  to  him  in  the  Diary  of  Mr.  Pepys  (who 
often  "went  to  Playford's")   add  the  human  touch,' 


76  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

times  to  the  Psalms  in  metre:  used  in  Parish-Churches. 
Also  six  Hymns  for  one  voycc  to  the  organ.  This  book  is 
not  a  new  musical  setting  of  the  authorized  Psalter  with  its 
appendage  of  hymns,  or  indeed  a  Psalter  of  any  sort.  It  is 
a  selection  of  "Psalms  and  Hymns"  mingling  together  for 
the  first  time  on  a  common  footing.  The  hymns  are  not 
segregated,  but  interspersed  among  the  psalms;  each  hymn 
following  the  psalm  tune  to  which  it  is  set.  The  psalms 
were  chosen  from  various  current  Psalters,  including  the 
authorized  Sternhold  and  Hopkins.  The  hymns  number 
seventeen.^  Of  these,  fourteen  are  taken  from  John  Austin's 
Roman  Catholic  Devotions  in  the  ancient  way  of  Offices, 
published  three  years  earlier.  The  remaining  three  seem 
to  have  been  written  or  acquired  for  this  book,  and  deserve 
mention  in  connection  with  early  hymn  writing.  One  in 
CM.  (to  "Canterbury  Tune")  begins  "O  Lord  my  Saviour 
and  support" :  one  in  the  metre  of  the  148th  Psalm  begins 
"Praise  to  our  God  proclaim" ;  and  both  are  anonymous. 
The  third,  entitled  "A  Hymn  for  Good  Friday,"  begins 
"See,  sinful  soul,  thy  Saviour's  suffering  see,"  and  is  signed 
"W.  Stroud,  D.D." 

None  of  these  hymns  was  introduced  into  church  use  by 
means  of  Playford's  book,  which  was  not  kindly  received. 
He  attributed  its  failure  to  its  folio  size  and  its  not  con- 
taining all  the  Psalms  in  their  order,  which  "made  it  not 
so  useful  to  carry  to  Church."^  To  which  considerations 
must  be  added  the  fact  that  the  tunes,  partly  from  Ravens- 
croft  and  partly  new,  were  arranged  for  male  voices,  and 
were  beyond  the  reach  of  the  skill  of  the  period.  Apart 
from  such  inconveniences  of  detail,  Playford's  general  pro- 
posal of  substituting  a  selection  of  "Psalms  and  Hymns" 
for  the  accepted  system  of  Psalmody  was  too  precipitate. 

Having  thus  made  his  first  venture  with  a  musician's  in- 
dependence and  failed,   Playford  turned  a  publisher's  eye 

■"The  six  "Divine  Songs   for  One  Voyce"  at  the  end  of  the  book 
may  be  excluded  as  not  being  hymns  in  the  usual  sense  of  the  word. 
'Preface  of  1677. 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS      ^-j 

toward  the  actual  market.     He  made  up  his  mind  that  what 
was  practicable  was  an  edition  of  the  Old  Version  in  port- 
able size  to  take  the  place  of  Ravenscroft's,  with  some  in- 
felicities of  the  ancient  text  corrected,  and  with  the  tunes 
set  in  plain  counterpoint  for  mixed  voices.    In  1677  he  pub- 
lished :  The  wJwle  Book  of  Psalms:  with  the  usual  Hymns 
and   Spiritual  Songs;   together  zcith  all   the  ancient  and 
proper  tunes  sung  in  churches,  with  some  of  later  use.  Com- 
pos'd  in  three  parts,  cantus,  medius,  &  bassus:  in  a  more 
plain  and  useful  method  than  hath  been  formerly  published. 
The  phrase  "with  the  usual  Hymns"  creates  the  impres- 
sion that  in  profiting  by  his  experience  of  1671  Play  ford 
gave  over  his  attempt  to  introduce  new  hymns,  and  was 
now  simply  reprinting  the  hymns  that  had  always  been 
appended  to  the  Old  Version.    He  did,  in  fact,  drop  all  but 
one  of  the  hymns  offered  in  1671 ;  and  we  may  infer  that 
they  had  not  proved  acceptable.     But  in  his  preface  he 
still  maintains  the  parity  of  psalms  and  hymns,  and  cites 
the  precedents  of  "The  usual  Hymns"  and  of  Barton's  Two 
Centuries  of  select  Hymns.     In  the  body  of  his  book  he 
preserves  the  form  of  the  original  appendages  of  hymns, 
one  before  and  one  following  the  psalms,  but  he  deals  very 
freely  with  the  contents.     In  the  group  before  the  psalms 
he  retains  the  Veni  Creator,  Te  Deum,  Benedictus,  Magni- 
ficat and  Nunc  Dimittis  of  the  Old  Version,  adds  Cosin's 
Veni  Creator,  and  provides  new  metrical  versions  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  Creed  and  Commandments.    The  group  fol- 
lowing  the   psalms,    entitled   "The   Rest    of   the    Solemn 
Hymns,"  begins  with  the  Benedicite,  followed  by  four  of 
the  Old  Versionhymns  (the- Humble  Suit,  the  Lamentation, 
"O  Lord  in  Thee,"  and  the  Prayer  after  the  Command- 
ments) .    Then  follow : 

Hymn  after  Communion,  "All  glory  be  to  God  on  high"  (  a  version 
of  Gloria  in  Excelsis).  ^ 

Hymn  for  Sunday,  "Behold  we  come  dear  Lord  to  thee     (by  John 

Austin).  ,  .^     .  , 

Morning  Hymn,  "Now  that  the  Day-star  doth  arise     (Cosin  s  version 

of  Jam  lucis  orto  sidere). 


78  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Hymn  on  Divine  Use  of  Musick,  "We  sing  to  thee  whos  wisdom 
form'd"  (it  had  appeared  in  Dr.  Natl.  Ingelo's  Bentivoglio  and  Urania, 
London,  1660). 

Remembering  that  Playford  was  adapting  himself  to 
current  taste,  both  his  freedom  in  deaHng  with  the  old 
hymns  of  the  Psalter  and  his  restraint  in  introducing  new 
hymns  show  how  slight  a  hold  hymns  of  any  sort  had  upon 
the  people.  The  actual  influence  of  Playford's  book  was 
by  way  of  prolonging  the  period  of  psalm  singing.  It  be- 
came the  standard  setting  of  the  Old  Version.  During  the 
rest  of  the  XVIIth  and  for  much  of  the  XVIIIth  century  it 
was  the  dependence  of  these  who  clung  to  the  old  ways, 
reaching  its  twentieth  edition  in  1757.  During  this  long 
period  Playford's  appendages  of  hymns  kept  their  place  in 
his  Psalter,  and  his  Psalter  was  carried  to  church  by  great 
numbers  of  people.  But  it  cannot  be  affirmed  that  they 
made  much  more  use  of  the  new  hymns  than  their  fathers 
had  made  of  the  hymns  originally  printed  in  the  Psalters. 
An  addiction  to  the  continued  use  of  the  Old  Version  be- 
came, in  fact,  the  particular  form  in  which  indifference  or 
opposition  to  hymns  expressed  itself. 

But  at  the  opening  of  the  XVIIIth  century  two  books 
appeared  that  aimed  at  the  introduction  of  hymns  into  pa- 
rochial worship;  in  the  one  case  as  supplementing  the  use 
of  the  Old  Version,  in  the  other  that  of  the  New.  The 
more  ambitious  of  these  two  books  was  the  private  venture 
of  Henry  Playford,  who  had  succeeded  to  the  business  of 
his  father,  John  Playford,  and  was  ambitious  to  carry  for- 
ward his  father's  work.  He  published  in  1701  The  Divine 
Companion;  or,  David's  Harp  nezv  tun'd.  Being  a  choice 
collection  of  new  and  easy  Psalms,  Hymns,  and  Anthems. 
The  words  of  the  Psalms  being  collected  from  the  newest 
versions.  Compos'd  by  the  best  Masters  and  fitted  for  the 
use  of  those,  who  already  understand  Mr.  John  Playford's 
Psalms  in  three  parts.  To  be  used  in  churches  or  private 
families,  for  their  greater  advancement  of  divine  music. 
This  book  was  designed  as  a  supplement  to  the  Old  Version 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS     79 

used  in  the  churches,  with  a  view  to  its  being  bound  up 
with  John  Playford's  musical  edition  first  pubHshed  in 
1677.  Its  plan  and  purpose,  however,  were  taken  from  the 
earlier  Playford  book  of  1671.  It  opened  with  six  Psalm 
versions  set  to  tunes  by  Dr.  Blow.  These  were  followed  by 
twelve  hymns  set  by  various  composers,  to  which  in  later 
editions  more  hymns  were  added.  At  the  end  was  a  group 
of  anthems.  In  the  hymns  John  Austin  predominates,  as  he 
did  in  167 1 ;  but  Crashaw,  Herbert  and  Drummond  are  also 
represented. 

The  Divine  Companion  had  a  temporary  success ;  that  is 
to  say,  its  reprinting  was  several  times  called  for.  This 
success  is  to  be  attributed  mainly  to  its  tunes  rather  than 
to  the  richness  of  its  hymnody,  but  the  words  of  the  hymns 
set  to  the  new  tunes  cannot  have  been  altogether  overlooked. 
To  what  extent  or  in  what  quarters  they  may  have  been 
introduced  into  parochial  worship  does  not  appear.  Such 
use  was  readily  accomplished  in  parishes  where  lining  was 
practised.  Not  one  of  them  played  any  part  in  the  future 
hymnody  of  the  Church  of  England.  It  may  be,  on  the 
other  hand,  that  Playford's  book  exercised  a  certain  influ- 
ence in  keeping  the  idea  of  hymn  singing  before  the  mind 
of  the  Church  of  England. 

The  other  of  the  books  referred  to  as  appearing  at  the 
opening  of  the  XVIIIth  century  was  much  more  modest  in 
form,  but  it  had  a  more  substantial  backing,  and  was  to 
prove  much  more  influential.  It  was  directly  connected 
with  the  current  movement  to  improve  Psalmody  repre- 
sented by  the  Nczv  Version  of  Tate  and  Brady  published  in 
1696.°  Even  the  party  of  progress  in  Psalmody  was  no 
doubt  more  immediately  concerned  to  get  a  more  literary 
version  of  the  Psalms  than  to  introduce  hymns.  The  New 
Version  first  appeared  without  music  and  without  even  "the 
usual  hymns,"  but  in  all  probability  a  provision  of  suitable 
tunes  and  a  small  appendage  of  hymns  was  a  part  of  the 
original   scheme.      At   the   end   of   the   second   edition   of 

*See  chapter  i,  part  iv. 


8o  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

1698  there  is  an  announcement  of  "A  Supplement  to  the 
New  Version,"  to  contain  "The  Usual  Hymns,"  "Select 
Psalms  done  in  particular  Measures,"  with  "A  Collection 
of  the  most  usual  Church-Tunes."  It  contains  also  a 
promise  of  "Additional  Hymns  for  the  Holy  Sacrament, 
Festivals,  &c." 

The  Supplement  to  the  Neiv  Version  of  Psalms  by  Dr. 
Brady  and  Mr.  Tate  appeared  in  1700  (London,  printed  by 
J.  Heptinstall),  in  sheets  with  a  view  to  binding  up  with 
the  Neiv  Version.  In  respect  of  hymns,  the  standpoint  of 
the  Supplement  differs  little  from  that  of  Playford's  Whole 
Book.  It  has  sixteen  hymns  in  all.  Ten  are  simply  fresh 
paraphrases  (in  the  fluent  style  of  the  New  Version  itself) 
of  "the  usual  hymns."  The  "Additional  Hymns"  promised 
in  the  advertisement  are  six  : 

1.  Song  of  the  Angels  at  the  Nativity.  "While  Shepherds  watch'd 
their  Flocks  by  Night." 

2.  For  Easter-Day  [First  Hymn].  "Since  Christ,  our  Passover,  is 
slain." 

3.  [Second  Hymn].    "Christ  from  the  Dead  is  rais'd,  and  made." 
Three  Hymns  for  Holy  Communion. 

4.  Hymn  I.       "Thou  God,  all  Glory,  Honour,   Pow'r." 

5.  Hymn  H.     "All  ye,  who  faithful  Servants  are." 

6.  Hymn  HI.  The  Thanksgiving  in  the  Church  Communion-Service. 
"To  God  be  Glory,  Peace  on  Earth." 

These  also  are  paraphrases,  five  of  Scriptural  passages, 
one  of  the  Gloria  in  Excelsis;  and  the  Scripture  texts  are 
noted  here  as  carefully  as  by  William  Barton  himself.  This 
little  group  of  hymns,  marking  no  advance  in  principle  over 
Playford's,  was  yet  of  much  more  significance  in  the  history 
of  the  Hymn;  owing  to  its  association  with  the  New  Ver- 
sion which  looked  toward  the  future  rather  than  with  the 
Old  Version  which  was  a  survival  from  the  past.  These 
hymns  were  thus  sown  on  comparatively  good  ground,  and 
if  they  did  not  spring  up  immediately  and  if  they  did  not 
multiply,  they,  at  all  events,  were  not  trodden  under  the 
feet  of  the  psalm  singers. 

The  Supplement  to  the  Nezv  Version  was  authorized  for 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS     8i 

use  in  churches  by  the  Queen  and  Council  on  July  30,  1703. 
It  became  a  very  popular  little  book,  often  reprinted,  but 
not  a  constituent  part  of  the  Psalter,  as  the  appendages  of 
the  Old  Version  had  been.  It  is  the  exception  rather  than 
the  rule  to  find  the  Supplement  even  bound  in  with  the 
XVIIIth  century  copies  of  Tate  and  Brady,  which  have  sur- 
vived in  great  numbers.  It  follows  that  the  hymns  of  the 
Supplement  could  not  have  been  sung  as  freely  as  the 
psalms  in  churches  using  Tate  and  Brady,  unless  they  were 
lined  out.  But  they  evoked  a  limited  interest,  which  it  was 
attempted  to  quicken  by  adding  three  hymns  to  the  sixth 
edition  of  1708.''^ 

This  group  of  hymns  in  the  Supplement  marks  the  limit 
of  anything  in  the  nature  of  an  authorized  provision  for 
hymn  singing  in  the  Church  of  England  during  the  period 
under  review.  It  was  sufficient  to  establish  the  principle 
that  hymns  were  allowable  as  supplementary  to  the  psalms. 
The  actual  practice  of  parochial  hymn  singing  which  it 
represents  must  seem  small,  when  we  remember  that  Tate 
and  Brady  was  only  then  making  headway  into  London 
churches,  and  for  long  afterward  was  hardly  known  beyond 
the  bounds  of  that  diocese.  These  hymns  served  for  a  be- 
ginning in  a  time  of  apathy  and  musical  decadence,  and 
were  destined  under  happier  conditions  to  be  taken  up  and 
enlarged  in  number,  and  even  to  be  embodied  within  the 
sacred  covers  of  the  Prayer  Book  itself  as  a  recognized 
feature  of  Church  of  England  worship. 

The  Supplement  does  not,  of  course,  stand  for  the  whole 
body  of  hymn  singing  within  the  Church  of  England  at 
the  time.  There  was  no  likelihood  of  interference  with  the 
general  or  occasional  use  of  other  hymns  from  the  various 
books  that  were,  as  we  have  seen,  available ;  and  it  is  alto- 
gether likely  that  they  found  such  use  by  some  of  progres- 
sive spirit.     And  we  have  also  to  take  account  of  the  ad- 

'They  were  the  Bcncdicite  and  a  recast  of  "O  Lord,  turn  not  thy 
Face  away,"  from  the  Old  Version  appendage,  and  the  "Hymn  on  the 
Divine  Use  of  Musick"  from  Playford's  Psalter  of  1677. 


82  •      THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

vances  toward  hymn  singing  on  that  Puritan  side  of  the 
Church  which  had  least  regard  for  the  Prayer  Book  system, 
under  the  leadership  of  such  men  as  Barton,  Baxter,  and 
Mason,  and  the  Puritan  recurrence  to  the  hymns  appended 
to  the  Old  Version. 


HI 

RICHARD    BAXTER   LEADS    A    MOVEMENT    TO 

INTRODUCE  HYMNS  AMONG  THE  EJECTED 

PRESBYTERIANS   (1661-1708) 

The  subject-matter  of  Congregational  Song  was  one  of 
the  very  numerous  issues  raised  by  the  Presbyterian  divines 
in  the  Church  of  England  before  the  Savoy  Conference  of 
1661  called  by  Charles  II  "to  advise  upon  and  review  the 
said  Book  of  Common  prayer."*  They  took  the  Puritan 
attitude  of  seeking  for  "a  purer  version'*  than  the  accepted 
Sternhold  and  Hopkins.  The  Xllth  of  their  exceptions 
against  the  liturgy  was  as  follows : 

"XII.  Because  singing  of  Psalms  is  a  considerable  part  of  Publick 
Worship,  we  desire  that  the  Version  set  forth  and  allowed  to  be 
sung  in  Churches  may  be  mended,  or  that  we  may  have  leave  to 
make  use  of  a  purer  Version." 

In  Baxter's  "Reformed  Liturgy,"  which  seems  to  have 
been  presented  at  the  same  time,^  there  is  something  like  a 
bill  of  particulars : 

"Concerning  the  Psalms  for  Publick  use.  We  desire  that,  instead  of 
the  imperfect  version  of  the  Psalms  in  Meeter  now  in  use,  Mr.  William 
Bartons  Version,   and  that  perused  and  approved  by  the   Church  of 

Tor  the  King's  warrant  for  the  Conference,  see  The  Grand  Debate 
between  the  most  Reverend  the  Bishops,  and  the  Presbyterian  Divines, 
appointed  by  His  Sacred  Majesty,  as  Commissioners  for  the  review 
and  alteration  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  &c.  London,  Printed 
1661,  p.  (iv.)  :  more  fully  in  E.  Cardwell's  Conferences  .  .  .  con- 
nected with  the  revision  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  Oxford,  2nd 
ed,  1841,  pp.  298  ff. 

T/.  Cardwell,  op.  cit.,  p.  260. 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS     83 

Scotland  there  in  use  (being  the  best  that  we  have  seen)  may  be 
received  and  corrected  by  some  skilful  men,  and  both  allowed  (for 
grateful  variety)  to  be  Printed  together  on  several  Columes  or  Pages, 
and  publickly  used;  At  least  until  a  better  than  either  of  them  shall 
be  made."  ^^ 

In  view  of  the  actual  status  of  Psalmody  in  the  Church 
of  England,  and  of  the  terms  of  the  King's  warrant,  it  is 
not  surprising  that  the  bishops  should  have  answered  the 
Presbyterian  exception  and  desire  by  saying,  "Singing  of 
Psalms  in  metre  is  no  part  of  the  Liturgy,  and  so  no  part 
of  our  commission."^^  But  the  Presbyterians  chose  to 
regard  this  as  quibbling,  and  replied  : 

"If  the  word  Liturgy  signifie  the  publick  Worship,  God  forbid  we 
should  exclude  the  singing  of  Psalms :  And  sure  you  have  no  fitter 
way  of  singing  than  in  Meeter.  .  .  .  We  hope  you  make  no  ques- 
tion, whether  singing  Psalms,  and  Hymns  were  part  of  the  Primitive 
Liturgy,  and  seeing  they  are  set  forth,  and  allowed  to  be  sung  in  all 
Churches  of  all  the  people  together,  why  should  they  be  denied  to  be 
part  of  the  Liturgy  ?    We  understand  not  the  reason  of  this."  '" 

In  "The  Grounds  of  Nonconformity  of  the  Ministers 
who  were  Ejected,"  afterwards  drawn  up  by  Calamy,  among 
"other  things  ...  by  some  possibly  less  regarded"  was 
that  in  order  to  subscribe  to  the  Prayer  Book  "They  must 
consent  to  the  Mistranslation  of  the  Psalter."^^ 

These  extracts  make  it  abundantly  plain  that  the  Presby- 
terians had  much  zeal  for  psalm  singing,  and  that  they 
demanded  authorization  for  a  more  correct  version  of  the 
Scripture  Psalms.  But  they  make  it  equally  clear  that  an 
insistence  that  congregational  song  be  confined  to  canonical 
Psalms  or  even  to  Scriptural  songs  was  no  part  of  the 
Presbyterian  position  or  demand.    They  raised  no  objection 

^"A  Petition  for  Peace:  with  the  reformation  of  the  Liturgy.  As 
it  was  presented  to  the  Right  Reverend  Bishops,  by  the  Divines  ap- 
pointed by  His  Majesties  Commission  to  treat  with  them  about  the 
alteration  of  it.    London,  printed  Anno  Dom.  MDCLXL,  p.  41. 

"Cardwell,  op.  cit.,  p.  342. 

^'The  Grand  Debate,  p.  79. 

"Edmund  Calamy,  An  Abridgement  of  Mr.  Baxter's  History  of  his 
Life  o,nd  Times,  etc.,  2nd  ed.,  London,  1713,  vol.  i,  p.  234. 


84  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

to  the  hymns  of  the  Old  Version  bound  up  with  the  Prayer 
Book,  whether  paraphrases  or  "of  human  composure."  On 
the  contrary  the  "Reformed  Liturgy"  drawn  up  by  Baxter, 
but  laid  before  the  Savoy  Conference  with  the  general 
consent  of  the  Presbyterian  divines,^^  as  a  desired  alternative 
to  certain  parts  of  The  Book  of  Common  Prayer ^^  contains 
this  rubric  at  the  end  of  "The  Order  of  celebrating  the 
Sacrament  of  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ" :  "Next  sing 
some  part  of  the  Hymn  in  meeter,  or  some  other  fit  Psalm  of 
Praise  (as  the  23.  116.  or  103.  or  100,  &c.)."  '^^  The  hymn 
referred  to  is  the  Thanksgiving  at  the  end  of  the  Old  Ver- 
sion ("The  Lord  be  thanked  for  his  gifts")  ;  and  the  rubric 
reflects  the  accustomed  use  by  these  divines  not  only  of 
this  hymn  but  of  others  appended  to  the  Psalter,  with  a 
special  predilection  for  the  metrical  paraphrases  of  Prayer 
Book  canticles. 

"Those  that  published  the  Old  Church-Psalms,"  Baxter 
said  in  the  preface  to  his  own  posthumous  Paraphrase  on 
the  Psalms  of  David  in  metre,  zvith  other  Hymns  (London 
1692),  "added  many  useful  Hymns,  that  are  still  printed 
with  the  Psalms  in  Metre."  And  he  makes  clear  the  actual 
limits  of  the  Presbyterian  position  by  saying  in  explanation 
of  the  literalness  of  his  own  version  of  the  Scripture  Psalms, 
— "I  durst  not  venture  on  the  Paraphrastical  great  liberty 
of  others;  I  durst  make  Hymns  of  my  own,  or  explain  the 
Apocryphal ;  but  I  feared  adding  to  God's  Word,  and  mak- 
ing my  own  to  pass  for  God's." 

Baxter's  hymn  making  has  been  already  referred  to;  but 
he  was  in  fact  the  leader  at  once  of  the  Presbyterians 
and  of  the  movement  to  introduce  hymn  singing  into  the 
churches.  He  was,  as  has  already  been  said,  "the  only 
begetter"  of  William  Barton's  Centuries  of  Hymns,  which 

"Calamy,  op.  cit.,  vol.  i,  p.  158. 

"*The  petition  was  that  "the  several  particulars"  of  this  liturgy  "be 
inserted  into  the  several  respective  places"  of  the  Prayer  Book,  "and 
left  to  the  Ministers  choice  to  use  the  one  or  the  other."  A  Petition 
for  Peace,  p.  22. 

'"Ibid.,  p.  58. 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS     85 

began  to  appear  in  1659,  but  he  occupied  ground  far  in  ad- 
vance of  Barton's  ventures.  He  held  that  hymns  had  been 
sung  from  the  beginning;  that  "doubtless  Paul  meaneth  not 
only  David's  Psalms,  when  he  bids  men  sing  with  grace  in 
their  hearts,  Psalms,  and  Hymns,  and  Spiritual  Songs :  Yea, 
it  is  past  doubt,  that  Hymns  more  suitable  to  Gospel-times, 
may  and  ought  to  be  now  used :  And  if  used,  they  must  be 
premeditated ;  how  else  shall  Congregations  sing  them  ?  And 
if  premeditated,  they  must  be  some  way  imposed;  How 
else  shall  the  Congregations  all  joyn  in  the  same."^^ 

It  is  not  likely  that  most,  or  perhaps  many,  of  Baxter's 
colleagues  shared  to  the  full  these  advanced  views  of  his 
singularly  independent  mind  and  temper :  nor  did  his  influ- 
ence establish  a  distinctive  Presbyterian  usage  of  hymn 
singing.  The  years  following  the  Ejectment  of  1662  were 
years  of  poverty  and  distress,  if  not  of  actual  persecution, 
for  many  of  the  ministers  who  had  been  driven  from  their 
parsonages  and  livings.  The  Conventicle  Act  and  the  Five 
Mile  Act  interfered  with  the  assembling  of  Presbyterian 
congregations.  The  groups  of  people  who  still  gathered 
about  their  ejected  pastors  for  the  simple  rites  of  worship, 
so  far  as  they  ventured  to  sing  at  all,  doubtless  satisfied  their 
craving  for  a  purer  version  of  the  Psalms  by  employing 
some  one  of  the  current  Psalters  of  the  more  literal  type. 

With  the  Revolution  of  1688  and  the  Toleration  Act  of 
William  and  Mary  in  the  year  following,  Presbyterian  wor- 
ship came  under  the  sanction  of  the  law,  and  in  a  single 
generation  hundreds  of  Presbyterian  meeting  houses  were 
built  throughout  England.  They  conformed  to  a  common 
pattern.  Internally  the  great  canopied  pulpit  dominated : 
beneath  it  a  desk  for  the  precentor,  or,  more  often,  "the 
table  pew,"  with  the  communion  table  in  the  centre,  and 
around  it  the  seats  which  were  then  or  later  occupied  by 
the  singers  on  non-sacramental  occasions.  ^^     In  the  failure 

"Preface  to  Paraphrase  on  the  Psalms. 

^"Cf.  A.  H.  Drysdale,  History  of  the  Presbyterians  in  England, 
London,  1889,  p.  443. 


86  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

to  establish  any  church  organization,  no  general  principle 
regulated  the  congregational  song,  and  no  book  was  pro- 
vided for  common  use  by  the  congregations.  Psalm  singing 
prevailed,  and  the  Scottish  Psalms  of  David  in  meeter  of 
1650  seems  to  have  been  adopted  pretty  generally.  The 
pastors  were  free  to  supplement  the  psalms  with  hymns, 
and,  in  the  prevalence  of  the  practice  of  "lining,"  could 
accomplish  it  without  providing  books  for  the  congregation. 
Among  the  ministers  of  the  later  or  meeting  house  era  of 
Presbyterianism  there  was  much  diversity  of  sentiment  and 
practice  in  the  matter  of  hymn  singing.  Matthew  Henry, 
who,  like  Baxter,  took  great  delight  in  Psalmody,  both  in 
public  and  private,  favored  hymn  singing  but  preferred 
Scriptural  psalms  and  hymns  to  those  wholly  of  human 
composition  as  likely  to  have  more  of  matter  and  less  of 
fancy. ^'^  He  prepared  and  printed  in  1695  a  little  volume 
of  Family  Hymns,  altered  and  enlarged  in  a  second  edition 
of  1702.  It  was  designed  to  encourage  Psalmody  in  the 
home  and  thus  to  improve  the  singing  in  church,  and  was 
introduced  by  him  into  his  own  services.^^  With  the  ex- 
ception oi  Tc  Dcum,  the  hymns  are  taken  from  Scripture, 
current  translations  being  freely  used.  Verses  out  of  sev- 
eral Psalms  are  gathered  together  to  make  up  a  hymn,  in 
the  manner  of  Barton,  with  whose  standpoint  Henry's  book 
may  be  said  to  agree. 

On  the  other  hand  James  Pierce  of  Exeter,  whose  Arian 
leanings  were  not  yet  suspected,  held  the  strictest  views  in 
the  way  of  confining  Church  Song  to  the  inspired  Psalms, 
discontinuing  even  the  use  of  the  doxology.  In  his  Vindi- 
ciae  fratriim  disscnticntium  in  Anglia^^  he  argued  for  the 

"J.  B.  Williams,  Memoirs  of  the  Rev.  Matthew  Henry,  London, 
1828,  p.  no. 

'"Ibid.,  p.  110. 

^'London,  1710.  In  English,  as  A  Vindication  of  the  Dissenters, 
London,  1717.  In  1786  Mr.  Brand  Hollis  reprinted  from  it  A  Tractate 
on  Music  (London),  for  distribution  in  the  First  Church  of  Boston, 
with  a  view  to  meeting  the  movement  to  procure  an  organ  for  that 
church. 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS     87 

use  of  "plain  tunes,"  and,  strenuously,  against  the  employ- 
ment of  instrumental  music,  Pierce's  attitude  toward  hymns 
was  exceptional  rather  than  characteristic  of  the  Presby- 
terianism  of  the  time;  and  it  is  quite  likely  that  any  who 
shared  in  it  may  have  sought  an  Old  Testament  Psalmody 
as  offering  an  available  refuge  from  rising  Christological 
perplexities. 

The  temper  and  tone  of  current  English  Presbyterianism 
was  better  represented  in  the  persons  of  the  Presbyterian 
divines  of  Dublin  and  the  south  of  Ireland.  It  had  indeed 
been  carried  there  by  the  eminent  Joseph  Boyse,  just  as 
the  Scottish  type  had  been  transplanted  in  the  North  of 
Ireland.  By  his  hymn  writing  Boyse  is  entitled  to  a  place 
among  the  predecessors  of  Dr.  Watts,  but  in  view  of  the 
lack  of  permanence^^  in  his  contributions  to  Hymnody, 
he  is  more  interesting  as  one  of  the  early  leaders  in  Presby- 
terian hymn  singing.  He  published  in  1693  Sacramental 
Hymns  collected  (chiefly)  out  of  such  passages  of  the  New 
Testament  as  contain  the  most  suitable  matter  of  Divine 
Praises  in  the  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  To  which 
is  added  one  hymn  relating  to  Baptism  and  another  to  the 
Ministry.  By  J.  Boyse,  with  some  by  other  hands.  This 
appeared  at  Dublin,  and  in  the  same  year  at  London  from 
the  press  of  Thomas  Parkhurst,  the  printer  of  Matthew 
Henry's  Family  Hymns.  It  contains  forty-one  pieces  by 
Boyse,  one  by  George  Herbert,  and  two  by  Simon  Patrick; 
and  in  the  baptismal  hymn  immersion  is  the  only  mode 
recognized.  In  1701  he  published  at  Dublin  Family  Hymns 
for  morning  and  evening  zuorship.  With  some  for  the 
Lord's  Days.  .  .  .  All  taken  out  of  the  Psalms  of  David. 
To  each  volume  is  prefixed  the  recommendation  of  six 
Dublin  ministers,  a  significant  testimony  as  to  local  senti- 
ment and  usage. 

Of  Boyse's  resolute  Presbyterianism  there  can  be  no 
question.      But   if   we   take   the   whole   body  of   Noncon- 

"Two  stanzas  by  him  were  included  in  James  Martineau's  Hymns 
for  the  Christian  Church  and  Home,  London,  1840  (No.  42). 


88  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

formist  meeting  houses  in  England  at  the  beginning  of  the 
XVIIIth  century,  it  is  by  no  means  easy  to  make  partition 
of  them  between  Presbyterians  and  Independents,  who 
showed  so  marked  a  disposition  to  affihate.  This  uncer- 
tainty apphes  to  the  sentiments  of  the  congregations,  to 
the  affiliations  of  the  ministers  who  occupied  the  pulpits, 
even  to  the  terms  of  the  trust-deeds  by  which  the  meeting 
houses  were  held.  And  it  applies,  of  course,  to  the  hymn 
singing.  Presbyterianism  was  not  destined  to  establish  it- 
self in  England,  and  its  meeting  houses  were  about  to  fall 
into  the  control  of  men  of  Arian  theology.  The  congre- 
gational song  of  these  meetings  was  first  to  come  under 
the  domination  of  Dr.  Watts,  and  then  to  develop  into  a 
Unitarian  Hymnody.  Apart  from  this  stream  of  Church 
Song,  thus  diverted  from  its  original  channel,  the  early 
Presbyterian  hymn  singing  seems  to  have  no  part  or  repre- 
sentation in  the  great  Hymn  Movement  of  the  XVIIIth 
century,  which  it  is  customary  to  trace  to  its  source  in  Inde- 
pendency. But  the  actual  facts  seem  to  be  that  behind  the 
early  Nonconformist  hymn  singing  there  was  no  Independ- 
ent leader  before  Watts  so  influential  and  so  outspoken  as 
Richard  Baxter,  and  that  the  Presbyterian  divines  had  an 
inadequately  recognized  share  in  laying  the  foundations  of 
modern  English  Hymnody. 

Too  little  notice  has  been  taken,  for  instance,  of  the  efforts 
of  Samuel  Bury,  a  Presbyterian  leader  in  Suffolk.  He  made 
a  careful  study  of  all  available  sources  of  hymns,  and  (ap- 
parently some  years  before  Watts  first  printed  his  hymns), 
published  A  Collection  of  Psalms,  Hymns,  and  Spiritual 
Songs,  fitted  for  morning  and  ez'ening  zvorship  in  a  private 
family,  but  containing  also  sacramental  hymns.  He  pre- 
fixed a  long  list  of  his  sources,  including  among  others 
Barton,  Baxter,  Boyse,  Crashaw,  Dorrington,  Burgess, 
Herbert,  Patrick,  Mason  and  Shepherd,  Tate  and  Brady, 
and  Woodford.  His  work  stands  in  the  shadow  of  his 
great  contemporary  and  looms  small  there;  but  in  view  of 
the  fact  that  Bury's  book  reached  a  third  edition  in  1713 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS     89 

and  a  fourth  in  1724,  it  could  not  have  been  without  influ- 
ence upon  the  situation.^^ 

As  pointing  apparentl}^  in  the  same  direction,  mention 
may  be  made  of  a  movement  to  better  congregational  sing- 
ing in  the  last  years  of  the  older  London  Presbyterianism. 
Moved  by  the  unsatisfactory  conditions  of  public  worship 
and  especially  of  the  neglect  and  unskillful  performance 
of  Psalmody  in  Nonconformist  churches,  a  Society  of  gen- 
tlemen in  the  (then)  Presbyterian  Meeting  at  the  King's 
Weigh  House  in  Little  Eastcheap  employed  a  teacher  of 
Psalmody  and  established  a  course  of  Friday  lectures.  The 
Psalmody  Lectures  were  published  by  them  in  1 708  as  Prac- 
tical Discourses  of  Singing  in  the  zvorship  of  God:  preach' d 
at  the  Friday  Lecture  in  Eastcheap.  By  sez'cral  Ministers. 
Of  the  six  lecturers  all  but  one  were  Presbyterian  min- 
isters.^^ 

This  movement  was  not  primarily  to  encourage  the  intro- 
duction of  hymn  singing,  but  it  tended  strongly  that  way. 
The  opening  lecturer  declared:  'T  conceive  that  whatever 
Songs  are  Scriptural,  are  the  proper  Object  of  Singing.  .  .  . 
For  I  can  by  no  means  be  of  their  mind,  who  in  the  public 
Congregations  would  confine  us  to  that  collection  of  the 
Jewish  Psalmody,  which  is  call'd  the  Psalms  of  David."^^ 
The    fourth   lecturer   approves   Mr.    Stennett's   hymns   as 

^^The  fullest  notice  of  Bury's  book  is  in  J.  Conder,  The  Poet  of  the 
Sanctuary,  London,  1851,  p.  35.  For  Bury  himself,  see  The  Diet,  of 
Nat.  Biography,  and  the  references  there,  especially  Murch's  Hist,  of 
Presb.  and  Genl.  Bapt.  Churches  in  W.  of  England,  1835,  pp.  107  fif. 
The  date  of  Bury's  book  is  unknown  to  the  writer.  It  seems  to  be 
referred  to  in  the  advt.  at  end  of  Henry's  Family  Hymns,  1702. 

"They  were  Jabez  Earle,  William  Harris,  Thomas  Reynolds,  John 
Newman  and  Benjamin  Gravener.  That  the  sixth,  Thomas  Bradbury, 
was  Independent,  aided  perhaps  to  broaden  the  reach  of  the  movement. 
He  was  a  singular  selection.  He  knew  nothing  of  music,  was  without 
poetical  taste,  became  the  great  opponent  of  Dr.  Watts'  scheme  for 
improving  Psalmody,  refused  to  allow  Watts'  Psalms  or  Hymns  to  be 
sung  in  his  presence,  and  used  Patrick's  version  to  the  end  of  his  life. 
Cf.  W.  Wilson,  History  and  Antiquities  of  Dissenting  Churches  .  .  . 
in  London,  London,  1808-14,  vol.  iii,  pp.  527,  528. 

''Mr.  Earle :  p.  4. 


90  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

"those  excellent  Composures  wherewith"  he  "hath  oblig'd 
the  Christian  Church. "^*^  The  fifth  lecturer  commends  Mr. 
Watts'  views  of  a  New  Testament  Hymnody  in  the  essay 
prefixed  to  the  Hymns  of  1707,  which  he  has  "seen  since 
the  Composure  of  this  Discourse."^'^  The  last  lecture  is  a 
review  of  the  part  played  by  psalm  singing  since  the  Refor- 
mation, and  the  frequent  quotations  from  Tate  and  Brady 
suggest  that  the  lecturer^^  was  content  to  sing  their  New 
Version  of  the  Psalter. 

This  interesting  movement^®  began  before  the  publica- 
tion of  Watts'  Hymns,  and  was  inspired  by  the  same  distress 
at  the  conditions  of  Nonconformist  Psalmody.  Originally 
independent  of  him,  it  came  to  accept  his  leadership.  W. 
Lawrence,  the  teacher  of  Psalmody  at  the  Weigh  House, 
had  made  a  Ms.  collection  of  tunes  for  "The  Gentlemen  of 
the  Society"  supporting  the  Friday  Lecture.  Upon  the 
appearance  of  Watts'  The  Psalms  of  David  imitated,  the 
collection  was  at  once  adapted  to  it,  and  published  the  same 
year  as  A  Collection  of  Tunes  suited  to  the  various  metres 
in  Mr.  VVatts's  Imitation  of  the  Psalms  of  David  or  Dr. 
Patrick's  Version,  fit  to  he  hound  up  with  either  (London, 
by  W.  Pearson  for  John  Clark,  1719).^^  The  Gentlemen  of 
the  Friday  Lecture  continued  their  good  work  for  congre- 
gational singing  many  years.  But  Lawrence's  book  has 
already  brought  us  to  the  period  at  which  Dr.  Watts'  Psalms 
and  Hymns  began  to  dominate  the  worship  of  the  old  Pres- 
byterian Meetings. 

'^Mr.   Reynolds:   p.   103. 

"'Mr.  Newman:  p.  154. 

^'Mr.  Gravener. 

"J.  S.  Curwen  in  his  Studies  in  Worship  Music,  ist  Series,  London, 
n.  d.,  p.  88,  credits  it  to  the  "Independents." 

^°Cf.  Hymns  ancient  and  modern:  Historical  edition,  London,  1909, 
pp.  Ixxxv,  Ixxxvi.  Lawrence's  successor,  Nathaniel  Gawthorn,  pub- 
lished Harmonia  Pcrfecta,  a  complete  Collection  of  Psalm  Tunes  in 
four  parts  (London,  1730),  chiefly  ti-ansposed  from  Ravenscroft,  and 
dedicated  "To  the  Gentlemen  who  support  the  Friday  Lecture  in 
Eastcheap;  and  for  a  course  of  years  have  encouraged  Psalmody." 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS     91 

IV 
THE  ATTITUDE  OF  THE  SEPARATISTS 

We  now  turn  to  consider  the  situation  in  those  rehgious 
bodies  which  had  already  formed  dissenting  communities 
outside  the  walls  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  entered 
upon  the  Restoration  period  with  traditions  already  ac- 
quired. There  were  marked  divergences  in  their  attitude 
not  only  toward  psalm  singing  but  toward  Congregational 
Praise  itself  as  a  Christian  ordinance.  Two  of  these  bodies, 
the  Arminian  Baptists  and  the  Society  of  Friends,  on  the 
one  hand,  had  taken  up  an  attitude  of  actual  hostility  toward 
singing  in  public  worship.  The  other  two,  the  Calvinistic 
Baptists  and  the  Independents,  had  struggled  against  the 
spread  of  the  same  hostility  within  their  ranks,  and  during 
the  period  now  under  review  emerged  from  the  struggle  to 
become  jointly  instrumental  in  introducing  the  English 
Hymn  into  actual  liturgical  use. 

At  the  left  we  may  group  together  the  General  or  Ar- 
minian Baptists  and  the  Society  of  Friends,  as  sharing  the 
opinion  that  singing  by  the  congregation  should  have  no 
place  in  the  public  worship  of  God. 

I.  The  General  Baptists  Oppose  "Promiscuous 
Singing" 

To  explain  the  origins  of  the  great  "Controversie  of  Sing- 
ing," and  the  attitude  of  the  General  Baptists  in  England 
toward  Congregational  Song,  we  must  go  back  to  about 
the  year  1606,^^  when  John  Smyth,  pastor  of  a  congregation 
of  Separatists  at  Gainsborough,  led  his  people  in  a  flight  to 
Amsterdam.  Once  there  he  found  that  his  real  sympathies 
were  not  with  the  principles  and  practices  of  the  congre- 
gation of  English  exiles  already  on  the  ground,  but  rather 
with  the  Dutch  Mennonites.  He  developed  intense  antipathy 
to  infant  baptism,  and,  failing  to  secure  believers'  baptism 

^'Henry  M.  Dexter,  The  true  Story  of  John  Smyth,  Boston,  1881, 
p.  2. 


92  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

at  the  hands  of  the  Mennonites,  in  1608  baptized  himself, 
thus  becoming  "the  Se-Baptist  of  Church  history."^^  He 
formed  a  separate  congregation  with  anti-Calvinistic  princi- 
ples, adopting  not  only  the  theology  of  the  Mennonites, 
but  many  of  those  peculiar  practices  of  their  worship  that 
anticipated  the  Quaker  meeting. 

In  setting  forth  The  Differences  of  the  Churches  of  the 
Separation  (n.  pi.,  1608),  Smyth  held  that  the  New  Cove- 
nant is  spiritual,  proceeding  out  of  the  heart,  and  that  read- 
ing out  of  a  book  is  no  part  of  spiritual  worship,  but  an 
invention  of  the  man  of  sin.  "We  hold,  that  seeing  sing- 
ing a  psalm  is  a  part  of  spiritual  worship,  it  is  unlawful  to 
have  the  book  before  the  eye  in  time  of  singing  a  psalm. "^^ 
These  principles  reduce  the  possibility  of  singing  in  wor- 
ship to  the  instance  of  an  individual  feeling  impelled  to 
compose  and  utter  a  spontaneous  song.  And  Robert  Baillie 
testifies  that  such  was  the  practice  in  Smyth's  congrega- 
tion.^^ 

After  the  formation  of  the  denomination  of  General 
Baptists  in  England  as  the  result  of  the  labors  of  Smyth 
and  his  disciples,  Thomas  Grantham,  as  their  mouthpiece, 
published  his  Christianismus  Primitivus  (London  1678). 
•^In  this  he  held  that  the  New  Testament  recognizes  no 
promiscuous  singing,  and  no  singing  by  the  rules  of  art, 
but  only  the  utterance  of  psalms  and  hymns  sung  by  such 
as  God  hath  fitted  thereto  by  the  help  of  His  Spirit  for 
the  edification  of  the  listening  church.  If  all  sing,  there 
were  none  to  be  edified)  if  pleasant  tunes  are  used,  that 
would  bring  music  and  instruments  back;  if  other  men's 
words  are  sung,  that  would  open  the  way  to  the  similar  use 
of  forms  of  prayer  also. 
"^    At  a  General  Baptist  Assembly  in  1689  it  appeared  that 

^"Ed.  Arber,  Story  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  London,  1897,  p.  137. 

''Quoted  from  the  copy  in  Bodleian  Library  by  R.  Barclay,  The 
Inner  Life  of  the  Religious  Societies  of  the  Commonwealth,  2nd  ed., 
London,  1877,  p.  106. 

^*A  Dissvasive  from  the  errours  of  the  times,  London,  1645. 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS     93 

a  small  minority  of  congregations  had  begun  "promiscuous" 
singing  of  psalms.  The  Assembly  called  upon  them  to  show 
"what  psalms  they  made  use  of  for  the  matter,  and  what 
rules  they  did  settle  upon  for  the  manner."  In  response 
there  was  produced 

"Not  the  metres  composed  by  Messrs.  Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  but 
a  book  of  metres  composed  by  one  Mr.  Barton,  and  the  rules  pro- 
duced to  sing  these  Psalms  as  set  down  secundum  artcm;  viz.,  as  the 
musicians  do  sing  according  to  their  gamut,—Sol,  fa,  la,  my,  ray,  &c., 
&c.;  which  appeared  so  strangely  foreign  to  the  evangelical  worship 
that  it  was  not  conceived  anywise  safe  for  the  churches  to  admit  such 
carnal  formalities;  but  to  rest  satisfied  in  this,  till  we  can  see  some- 
thing more  perfect  in  this  case,  that  as  prayer  of  one  in  the  church  is 
the  prayer  of  the  whole,  as  a  church,  so  the  'singing  of  one  in  the 
church  is  the  singing  of  the  whole  church;  and  as  he  that  prayeth  in 
the  church  is  to  perform  the  service  as  of  the  ability  which  God 
giveth,  even  so,  he  that  singeth  praises  in  the  church  ought  to  per- 
form that  service  as  of  the  ability  received  of  God;  that  as  a  mourn- 
ful voice  becomes  the  duty  of  prayer,  so  a  joyful  voice,  with  gravity, 
becomes  the  duty  of  praising  God  with  a  song  in  the  Church  of  God."  ^^ 

This  judgment,  received  with  "the  general  approbation 
of  the  Assembly,"  is  interesting  not  only  as  showing  that 
the  great  majority  had  not  advanced  a  step  beyond  the  po- 
sition of  Grantham  in  1671,  but  also  for  the  circumstances 
that  occasioned  it,  as  showing  the  movement  of  the  time 
beginning  to  penetrate  the  isolation  of  a  peculiar  sect.  It 
seems  to  have  got  no  farther  within  General  Baptist  circles 
during  the  period  under  review.  There  is  apparently  no 
record  of  a  change  of  practice  until  well  toward  the  middle 
of  the  XVIIIth  century.  In  1733  the  General  Assembly 
received  a  complaint  from  Northamptonshire  that  some  of 
its  churches  "had  fallen  into  the  way  of  singing  the  Psalms 
of  David,  or  other  men's  composures,  with  tunable  notes, 
and  a  mixed  multitude ;  which  way  of  singing  appears  to  us 
wholly  unwarrantable  from  the  Word  of  God."  But  the 
mood  or  judgment  of  the  Assembly  had  at  length  changed. 
It  admitted  that  congregational  singing  was  an  innovation, 
practised  by   "some  very   few,"   yet  was  not   a   sufficient 

''J.  J.  Goadby,  Bye-Paths  in  Baptist  History,  London,  n.  d.,  pp.  347, 
348. 


94  THE  ENGTJSH   HYMN 

ground  for  excluding  them.  The  Assembly  could  find  no 
clear  statement  in  Scripture  as  to  the  manner  of  singing. 
It  would  that  all  were  of  one  mind,  "but  as  the  weakness  of 
human  understanding  is  such  that  things  appear  in  different 
lights  to  different  persons,  such  a  concord  is  rather  to  be 
desired  than  expected  in  this  world.  It  expressed  on  the 
whole  an  unwillingness  to  dispute  the  question  or  to  impose 
upon  all  the  general  opinion  and  practice. '"^^ 

It  may  be  inferred  that  the  influence  of  Dr.  Watts  had 
begun  to  be  felt  by  General  Baptists,  but  their  actual  asso- 
ciations were  closer  with  the  later  Wesleyan  movement. 
And  it  was  by  means  of  the  fervid  influences  of  the  Meth- 
odist Revival  that  General  Baptist  churches  were  to  be 
multiplied  and  to  become  hymn  singing  churches. 

^  2.    The  Society  of  Friends  Excludes  "Conjoint 
Singing" 

The  Society  of  Friends  took  up  a  position  that  opposed 
singing  as  practised  in  the  public  worship  of  the  time  and 
led  to  the  exclusion  of  all  song  from  their  own  meetings. 
Whether,  with  Hodgkin,-"^"  we  regard  George  Fox  as  an 
original  thinker,  or  conclude  with  R.  Barclay^®  that  his 
tenets  and  practices  were  to  a  large  extent  borrowed  from 
the  Mennonites  and  Arminian  Baptists,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  of  the  wide  area  of  opinion  and  practice  held  by  them 
in  common.  There  is  no  appreciable  difference  between  the 
General  Baptist  and  the  Quaker  position  as  regards  Church 
Song.  It  is  to  be  remembered  also  that  Fox's  movement 
was,  like  that  of  the  General  Baptists,  an  immediate  revolt 
not  from  Laudian  Episcopacy  but  from  Puritan  theology 
and  practice.  While  he  "was  to  bring  people  off  from  all 
the  world's  religions,  which  are  vain,  .  .  .  and  prayings, 
and  singings,  which  stood  in  forms  without  power,"^**  and 

^"Goadby,   op.  cit.,  p.  348. 

^'Thomas  Hodgkin,  George  Fox,  London,  1896,  p.  vi. 

^'O/).  cit.,  chap.  V. 

^"Quoted  in  Hodgkin's  George  Fox,  p.  35. 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS     95 

while  he  held  up  mass  book  and  common  prayer  and  direc- 
tory to  unpartitioned  scorn,  it  was  the  Directory  which 
immediately  confronted  him,  and  the  Puritan  Psalmody 
which  constituted  the  "singings"  audible  by  him. 

The  early  Friends  were  not  opposed  to  all  singing  in 
public  worship.  Among  several  references  thereto  in  Fox's 
Journal  is  one  of  1655  to  the  effect  that  "Tho :  Holme  & 
Eliz :  Holme :  att  a  meetinge  in  Underbarrow :  were  much 
exercised  by  y*"  power  of  y*'  Lorde  in  songes  and  Hymms 
&  made  melody  &  rejoyced:  &  y*"  life  was  raised  thereby  & 
refreshed  in  many:  in  y*  meetinge. "^^  Three  years  later 
Fox  wrote :  "Those  who  are  moved  to  sing  with  under- 
standing, making  melody  to  the  Lord  in  their  hearts  we 
own;  if  it  he  in  meeter,  we  own  it.""*^  By  an  official  pro- 
nouncement of  the  Yearly  Meeting  of  1675  "Serious  sigh- 
ing, sencible  groaning  and  reverent  singing"  are  recognized 
as  divers  operations  of  the  Spirit  and  power  of  God,  and 
not  to  be  quenched  or  discouraged,  unless  immoderate.^^ 
This  evidently  refers  to  the  utterance  of  an  individual,  under 
the  direct  motion  of  the  Spirit.  As  formulated  by  Barclay 
in  his  Apology, '^^  (nth  proposition,  §26)  the  singing  of 
psalms  is  a  true  part  of  God's  worship,  but  the  formal  cus- 
tomary way  of  singing  in  the  congregation  has  no  Scriptural 
nor  even  Christian  ground.  To  put  expressions  of  the  reli- 
gious experiences  of  blessed  David  into  the  mouths  of  the 
wicked  and  profane  is  to  make  them  utter  great  and  horrid 
lies  in  the  sight  of  God.  Acceptable  singing  must  proceed 
from  the  Spirit  indwelling  in  the  heart.  Artificial  music, 
of  organs  or  vocal,  has  no  New  Testament  warrant. 

"^The  Journal  of  George  Fox,  ed.  from  the  Mss.  by  Norman 
Penney,  Cambridge,  at  the  University  Press,  191 1,  vol.  ii,  p.  326.  All 
the  references  to  singing  in  worship  seem  to  have  been  left  imprinted 
until  this  edition  appeared  (see  vol.  i.  p.  442)  ;  a  fact  not  without 
suggestiveness. 

"G.  Fox  and  Huggerthorne,  Truth's  Defence  against  the  refined 
subtility  of  the  Serpent,  1658,  p.  21. 

"See  R.  Barclay,  op.  cit.,  p.  461. 

""Printed  in  the  year  1678"  (n.  p.)  ;  pp.  288,  289. 


96  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

The  singing  thus  recognized  has  been  compared  to  that 
of  the  singing  evangehst  introduced  in  the  Moody  and 
Sankey  campaigns,^*  but  seems  more  akin  to  the  inspira- 
tional utterances  of  the  early  Christian  assemblies.  Such 
as  it  was,  it  was  strongly  opposed  by  some  from  the  first,^^ 
and  soon  died  out.  "Conjoint"  singing  of  psalms  or  hymns 
taken  from  a  book  or  the  lips  of  a  precentor,  was  never 
at  any  time  tolerated  in  the  Friends'  meetings.  It  ranged 
in  Fox's  mind  with  images  and  crosses,  prescribed  prayers 
and  sprinkling  of  infants,  as  one  of  the  vain  traditions  and 
worldly  ceremonials  from  which  it  was  his  peculiar  mission 
to  deliver  men.  So  far  as  the  actual  practice  of  the  meetings 
is  concerned,  the  result  would  have  been  the  same  in  any 
case,  as  the  repudiation  of  the  musical  art  by  the  early 
Friends  must  soon  have  made  congregational  song  quite 
impracticable. 

With  this  attitude  of  opposition  to  the  established  Psalm- 
ody, the  Friends,  of  course,  have  had  no  part  in  its  transi- 
tion to  our  modern  hymn  singing.  Members  of  that  body 
have  not  hesitated  to  contribute  hymns  to  the  common  stock, 
but  only  in  the  last  half  century  or  so  has  a  movement  begun 
in  England  and  America  to  introduce  general  hymn  singing 
(even  the  hymnal  with  musical  notes)  into  the  Quaker 
meeting. 

3.    Benjamin  Keach  Introduces  Hymns  among  the 
Particular  Baptists 

Among  the  Particular  (or  Calvinistic)  Baptists  there 
was,  to  say  the  least,  nothing  like  unanimity  in  agreeing 
with  their  Arminian  brethren  concerning  Congregational 
Song. 

The  very  full  records  of  the  Broadmead  Church  of 
Bristol  left  by  Edward  Terrill  are  silent  on  this  point  from 
1640  to  1670.  But  from  1671  to  1685  they  show  that 
congregational  singing  was  statedly  practised,  under  all  the 

^^R.  Barclay,  pp.  461,  462. 

■"'R.  Barclay,  p.  462;  Fox's  Journal,  vol.  i.  p.  442. 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS     97 

menaces  of  persecution.'**'  There  was,  however,  a  second 
Baptist  congregation  in  Bristol;  and,  when  in  1675,  a  joint 
meeting  was  proposed,  some  of  its  members  "were  ready 
to  sing  Psalms  with  others  beside  the  church,"  but  a  minority 
"Scrupled  to  sing  in  metre  as  [the  Psalms]  were  trans- 
lated," and  asked  permission  to  keep  their  hats  on  or  to 
retire  while  this  was  doing.'*'^  From  this  and  other  facts 
we  may  infer  that  there  were  considerable  differences  of 
sentiment    and    practice    among    the    Particular    Baptists. 

It  was  in  one  of  the  congregations  which  had  declined 
to  sing  that  the  use  of  hymns  as  distinct  from  psalms  be- 
gan.**^ The  innovator  was  its  pastor,  Benjamin  Keach,  a 
young  man  who  had  originally  shared  the  sentiments  of 
the  General  Baptists,  among  whom  he  was  reared.*^  In 
1668  he  became  pastor  of  a  congregation  of  Particular 
Baptists  of  Southwark,  which  prospered  under  him  and  built 
a  meeting  house  on  Horsley-down. 

Keach  was  convinced  that  Congregational  Song  was  an 
ordinance  of  Christ,  and  undertook  to  realize  his  convic- 
tions among  his  own  people.  He  first  obtained  their  consent 
to  sing  at  the  close  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  In  the  Epistle 
Dedicatory  to  his  Breach  repaired,  dated  April  3,  169 1,  he 
fixes  the  date  as  "16  or  18  years"  earlier,  which  gives  from 
1673  to  1675.  After  some  six  years  of  this  practice,  his 
church  agreed  to  sing  also  on  "public  Thanksgiving  days" ; 
and  about  1690  they  agreed  to  sing  the  praises  of  God  every 
Lord's  day.^*^ 

The  songs  thus  introduced  were  not  metrical  psalms,  but 
hymns  suitable  to  the  occasion,  in  manuscript  and  mostly  or 
altogether  composed  by  Keach  himself. 

*^The  Records  of  the  Church  of  Christ  meeting  in  Broadmead, 
Bristol,  1640-1687,  London,  1847,  pp.  159,  222,  228,  230,  232,  233,  236, 
237,  238,  248,  253,  256,  291,  305,  312,  339,  421,  443,  465. 

"Broadmead  Records,  p.  242. 

*^Thos.  Crosby,  History  of  the  English  Baptists,  London,  1838-40, 
vol.  iv.  p.  299. 

**Crosby,  op.  cit.,  vol.  iv.  p.  270. 

"p.  viii. 


98  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

A  very  small  minority  of  Keach's  congregation  had  op- 
posed the  movement,  and  this  more  frequent  use  of  hymns 
precipitated  a  bitter  controversy;  the  dissenters  being  led 
by  Isaac  Marlow,  who  in  1690  printed  A  brief  Discourse 
concerning  Singing  in  the  public k  worship  of  God  in  the 
Gospel  Church  (London,  printed  for  the  Author).  Her- 
cules Collins  in  the  appendix  to  his  Orthodox  Christian, 
published  in  1680,  had  urged  the  duty  of  congregational 
singing,  as  had  Keach  himself  in  his  Tropes  and  Figures 
(1682)  and  Treatise  on  Baptism  (1689).  John  Bunyan 
also  in  his  Solomon's  Temple  spiritualised  (1688),  speaks 
of  it  as  a  divine  institution  in  the  public  worship  of  the 
church,  to  whose  members  it  should  be  confined.  At  the 
First  General  Assembly  of  Particular  Baptists  in  1689 
Keach  challenged  that  body  to  debate  the  matter.  The 
debate  seems  to  have  been  entered  upon  but  not  concluded, 
the  Assembly  thinking  "it  not  convenient  to  spend  much 
time  that  way."^^ 

The  controversy  thus  opened  continued  for  several  years. 
Keach  responded  to  Marlow  in  his  The  Breach  repaired  in 
God's  Worship  or,  singing  of  Psalms,  Hymns,  and  Spiritual 
Songs,  proved  to  be  an  holy  ordinance  of  Jesus  Christ 
(London  1691),  a  treatise  of  192  pages  with  an  appendix 
against  Marlow  covering  50  more.  Marlow  replied  in  The 
Truth  soberly  defended  (1692)  ;  and  other  writers  on  both 
sides  entered  the  fray.  The  points  actually  at  issue  were 
afterwards^^  stated  by  Marlow  as  three:  (i)  Whether  the 
only  vocal  singing  in  the  Apostolic  Church  was  not  the 
exercise  of  an  extraordinary  gift  of  the  Spirit.  (2) 
Whether  the  use  of  a  set  form  of  words  in  artificial  rhymes 
is  allowable.  (3)  Whether  the  minister  sang  alone,  or  a 
promiscuous  assembly  together,  sanctified  and  profane,  men 
and  women  (even  though  the  latter  were  enjoined  to  keep 
silence  in  the  churches). 

By    1692  the  controversy  had   become   so   heated  and 

"Goadby,  op.  cit.,  p.  332. 

'"In  his  Controversie  brought  to  an  end,  1696. 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS     99 

abusive  that  the  General  Assembly  took  it  in  hand,  and 
appointed  a  committee  of  seven  to  examine  the  pamphlets. 
Upon  their  report  the  Assembly  rebuked  the  pamphleteers, 
and  urged  the  people  neither  "to  buy,  sell,  give  or  disperse" 
certain  pamphlets,  including  Marlow's  Truth  soberly  de- 
fended. 

Crosby's  statement  that  "a  stop  was  thus  put  to  the 
troubles  that  threatened  the  baptized  churches  upon  this 
controversy"^''^  is  clearly  unjustified.  Marlow  and  his  fol- 
lowers set  up  an  independent  congregation  without  singing ; 
and  in  1696  he  published  his  Controversie  of  Singing 
brought  to  an  end,  and  which  in  fact  served  only  to  renew 
it.  The  General  Assembly  had  decided  nothing  except  that 
the  peace  should  be  kept,  but  in  omitting  to  decide  against 
singing  they  left  the  churches  free.  And  Crosby  is  no  doubt 
right  in  saying  that  "many  of  them  from  that  time  sung 
the  praises  of  God  in  their  public  assemblies  who  had  not 
used  that  practice  before. "^^ 

The  deeper  issues  raised  in  this  "controversie  of  Sing- 
ing" tended  to  relegate  the  question  between  psalms  and 
hymns  to  a  position  of  inferior  interest  and  importance. 
Many  Baptist  congregations  introducing  singing  confined 
themselves  to  psalms  without  question.  It  was  so  generally 
at  Broadmead,  but  the  records  show  the  singing  of  a  hymn 
as  early  as  1678,  written  and  handed  up  by  Edward  Ter- 
rill.^^  A  late  comer  into  the  controversy,  the  famous  John 
Gill,  in  his  Discourse  on  Singing  of  Psalms,  1734  (2nd  Ed. 
175 1 ),  denies  not  that  hymns  may  be  useful,  but  care  must 
be  taken  to  conform  them  to  Scripture  and  the  analogy  of 
faith;  and  on  the  whole  he  judges  them  "in  a  good  measure, 
unnecessary."^^ 

But  the  foundations  of  hymn  singing  in  Particular  Bap- 


^^History  of  the  Baptists,  vol.  iii.  p.  270.    Cf.  Joseph  Ivimey,  History 
of  the  English  Baptists,  London,  1811-1814,  vol.  ii.  pp.  374,  375. 
"Crosby,  vol.  iii.  p.  271. 
^"Records,  pp.  389,  390. 
°'2nd  ed.,  p.  45. 


loo  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

tist  churches  had  been  permanently  laid  by  Keach,  and  a 
beginning  of  Baptist  Hymnody  made. 

Keach  printed  some  of  his  hymns  as  early  as  1676  in 
his  War  with  the  powers  of  darkness  (4th  Ed.),  and  three 
hundred  of  them  as  Spiritual  Melody  in  1691.  The  Sacra- 
mental Hymns  which  Joseph  Boyse  printed  at  Dublin  in 
1693  has  sometimes  been  regarded  as  the  first  Baptist  hymn 
book.  But  the  immersionist  type  of  the  baptismal  hymn 
contained  in  that  book  Avill  not  serve  to  detach  Boyse  from 
his  dearly  beloved  and  heroically  defended  Presbytery. 

The  Lord's  Supper  furnished  a  natural  occasion  for  the 
introduction  of  evangelical  hymns.  And  Joseph  Stennett, 
who  in  1690  became  pastor  of  a  Seventh-Day  Baptist 
Church  in  Devonshire  Square,  London,  began  to  use  there 
sacramental  hymns  of  his  own  composition.  They  circu- 
lated without,  through  Ms.  copies  made  "by  some  Persons 
who  heard  them  dictated  ["lined"]  in  Publick."  ^^  Other 
congregations  expressed  a  desire  to  use  the  hymns,  and  in 
1697  Stennett  published  them  as  Hymns  in  commemoration 
of  the  Sufferings  of  our  Blessed  Saviour  Jesus  Christ, 
compos'd  for  the  celebration  of  his  Holy  Supper.  They 
reached  a  second  edition  in  1705,  and  a  third  in  1709.  He 
published  also  in  1712  a  tractate  of  twelve  Hymns  compos'd 
for  the  celebration  of  the  holy  ordinance  of  Baptism,  of 
which  there  was  a  second  edition  in  1722.  Stennett  had 
been  in  contact  with  the  "controversie  of  Singing,"  and  as  a 
preface  to  his  earlier  book  printed  a  justification  of  con- 
gregational singing  from  the  hand  of  one  who  had  been 
trained  in  opposition  to  it,  but  had  changed  his  views.  Sten- 
nett's  hymns  were  admired  and  used  beyond  the  bounds 
of  the  Baptist  denomination;  some  indeed  have  continued  in 
use  to  our  own  day.^^  How  they  affected  the  Eastcheap 
lecturer  has  already  appeared.  It  is  of  more  moment  that 
they  attracted  the  attention  of  young  Isaac  Watts,  under 

""Advertisement"   in   the   Hymns  .  .  .  for   the  .  .  .  Holy   Supper. 
'**'That  most  widely  familiar,  "Another  six  days'  work  is  done,"  ap- 
peared in  neither  of  the  above  publications. 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS    loi 

whose  influence  Baptist  Hymnody  was  about  to  pass.  His 
appropriation  of  several  of  Stennett's  lines  into  his  own 
work  entitles  Stennett  to  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  models 
from  whom  Watts  worked  out  his  own  conception  of  the 
English  Hymn. 

4.  The  Independents  Join  with  the  Presbyterians  in 
Introducing  Hymns 

There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the  early  Independents 
as  a  class  were  in  substantial  accord  with  the  general  Puri- 
tan position  as  to  the  singing  of  psalms.  Such  certainly 
was  the  case  with  the  church  of  the  exiled  Separatists  at 
Amsterdam.  When  John  Smyth  of  Gainsborough  devel- 
oped there  his  peculiar  views  of  spiritual  worship,  they 
found  little  sympathy.  Ainsworth  in  his  Defence  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  worship  and  minis ferie  used  in  the  Chris- 
tian churches  separated  from  Antichrist:  against  the  chal- 
lenges, cavils  and  contradiction  of  Mr.  Smyth,  in  1609, 
professes  himself  unable  to  understand  why  Smyth  should 
not  use  psalm  singing  in  the  services  of  his  church,  and  he 
speaks  for  the  whole  body  of  the  earlier  exiles  in  saying, 
we  "do  content  ourselves  with  joint  harmonious  singing  of 
the  Psalms  of  Holy  Scripture,  to  the  instruction  and  com- 
forts of  our  hearts,  and  praise  of  our  God."^^  In  1612 
Ainsworth  prepared  a  complete  metrical  Psalter  for  the  use 
of  the  exiles,  accompanying  it  with  tunes  and  also  with  a 
prose  rendering  for  comparison  and  with  annotations  for 
critical  study.  Some  of  these  versions  in  Ms.  may  have 
been  already  in  use;  the  printed  Psalter  was  used  both  in 
the  Amsterdam  church  and  in  Robinson's  at  Leyden,  and 
was  by  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  out  of  the  Leyden  congrega- 
tion taken  to  New  England. 

It  cannot,  however,  be  said  that  when  Smyth  and  his 
followers  formed  themselves  into  a  Baptist  congregation, 
they  left  behind  them  no  elements  of  controversy  as  to  the 

^"Defence,  quoted  in  B.  Hanbury,  Hist.  Memorials  relating  to  the 
Independents,  London,  1839,  vol.  i.  p.  181. 


I02  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

propriety  of  congregational  psalm  singing.  The  extreme 
spirit  of  individualism  developed,  and  the  Puritan  ingenuity 
in  raising  "cases  of  conscience"  led  to  much  difference  of 
opinion  among  the  Independents  on  this  as  on  other  ques- 
tions. The  hesitation  of  the  Westminster  Assembly  in  deal- 
ing with  the  subject  was  doubtless  with  a  view  to  including 
the  largest  possible  Independent  support.  The  prevalent 
opinion  among  them  perhaps  asked  no  more  than  that  the 
subject  be  left  free,  especially  as  regards  the  choice  of  a 
specific  version.  But  there  were  troublesome  minorities 
that  objected  to  congregational  singing  per  se,  or  like  that 
represented  by  Mr.  Nye,*^*^  who  took  Barrowe's  earlier  posi- 
tion of  protest  against  translating  the  Psalms  into  English 
metre,^^  though  it  is  not  clear  how  they  proposed  to  make 
the  singing  of  a  prose  version  practicable.  Some  of  these 
controversialists  were  especially  active  at  the  time.  John 
Cotton  essayed  to  cover  the  whole  ground  of  controversy 
in  his  Singing  of  Psalms  a  Gospel-ordinance,  printed  at 
London  in  1647,  and  again  in  1650.  No  doubt  he  includes 
Old  England  and  New,  Baptist  and  Independent,  describ- 
ing his  view  of  the  general  situation,  in  his  opening  sen- 
tence :  "To  prevent  the  godly-minded  from  making  melody 
to  the  Lord  in  Singing  his  Praises  with  one  accord,  ,  ,  . 
Satan  hath  mightily  bestirred  himself  to  breed  a  discord  in 
the  hearts  of  some  by  filling  their  heads  with  foure  heads  of 
scruples  about  the  Duty."  These  scruples  related  to  singing 
with  the  voice  as  against  singing  in  the  heart;  as  to  who 
may  properly  be  allowed  to  join  in  it  in  public  worship 
(women,  carnal  men,  &c.)  ;  as  to  the  subject  matter  of 
praise;  and  as  to  metrical  versions  and  invented  tunes. 
Cotton's  defence  adds  nothing,  and  was  not  intended  to 
add  anything,  to  the  general  doctrine  of  Psalmody  held  by 
the  Reformed  Churches,  which  it  essays  to  vindicate  on  the 
usual  Scriptural  grounds. 

"'Letters  and  Journals  of  Robert  Baillie,  Edinburgh,  1841,  1842,  vol. 
ii.  p.  121. 

*'See  Hanbury,  Memorials,  vol.  i.  p.  61. 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS    103 

The  "controversie  of  Singing"  had  spent  its  force  before 
the  period  of  the  Restoration,  and  seems  to  have  ended 
in  a  general  adoption  of  psalm  singing  in  Independent  con- 
gregations. Several  churches  are  on  record  in  the  preceding 
years  as  resolving  to  maintain  or  take  up  the  "Singing  of 
Psalms."^^  And  in  June,  1663,  Dr.  Goodwin  and  Mr. 
Nye,  as  well  as  Mr.  Caryl,  in  their  interview  with  Charles  II, 
were  able  to  report  that  "we  have  in  our  churches  all  parts 
of  worship,  as  preaching,  praying,  reading,  and  singing  of 
psalms,  and  the  sacraments. "^^  None  the  less  the  con- 
troversy had  produced  the  familiar  effect  of  stripping  from 
the  controverted  practice  its  earlier  delight.  A  conviction 
of  duty  is,  after  all,  an  inadequate  basis  for  song. 

And  then,  too,  the  Independents  felt  the  full  stress  of  the 
persecutions  that  followed  the  Act  of  Uniformity.  The 
Conventicle  Act  bore  hardly  upon  established  congregations 
with  well  known  places  of  meeting,  to  whom  the  houses  of 
great  Puritan  families,  which  often  provided  shelter  and 
even  places  for  worship  to  the  Presbyterians,  were  not  open. 
During  the  enforcement  of  these  Acts,  their  services  could 
be  held  only  in  secluded  places  and  at  unexpected  hours,  with 
a  guard  at  the  door  to  give  notice  of  interruption.  It  is 
obvious  that  with  the  need  of  avoiding  observation  by 
neighbors  and  passers  by,  singing  would  be  the  first  "part 
of  worship"  to  suffer.  Speaking  of  one  of  the  periods  of 
persecution,  Neale  says  that  in  the  meetings  "they  never 
sung  Psalms."  ^^  Equally  suggestive  is  a  record  under  date 
of  April  I,  1682,  of  a  church  once  meeting  at  St.  Thomas', 
Southwark :  "We  met  at  Mr.  Russell's,  in  Ironmonger  Lane, 
where  Mr.  Lambert,  of  Deadman's  Place,  Southwark,  ad- 
ministered to  us  the  ordinance  of  the  Lord's  supper,  and 
we  sang  a  psalm  in  a  low  voice.  "^^ 


"C/.  Curwen,  Studies  in  Worship  Music,  ist  Series,  pp.  83,  84. 
"Letter  of  Wm.  Hooke,  quoted  in  J.  Waddington,  Congregational 
History,  1567-1700,  London,  1874,  p.  579. 

^*History  of  the  Puritans,  part  v.  chap.  ii. :  ed.  1837,  vol.  iii.  p.  265. 
"Quoted  in  Worship  Music,  p.  84. 


I04  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

These  conditions  of  restraint  ceased  with  the  Revolution 
of  1688,  which  brought  freedom  of  worship  and  a  begin- 
ning of  a  meeting  house  building  era  to  Independents  as  to 
Presbyterians.  The  lengthy  sermon  and  protracted  extem- 
poraneous prayer  were  the  main  features  of  worship  in  the 
Independent  meeting  houses.  They  left  little  opportunity 
for  psalm  singing,  and  there  is  no  evidence  that  the  new 
conditions  put  new  heart  into  it.  The  singing  was  still 
confined  to  canonical  Psalms.  While  Sternhold  and  Hop- 
kins had  been  largely  given  up,  no  other  version  was  received 
in  common.  Some  who  craved  a  "pure"  version  favored 
Barton's,  and  others  the  Bay  Psalm  Book  of  the  New  Eng- 
land divines.  Nathaniel  Homes,  afterwards  one  of  the 
ejected  ministers,  had  called  attention  to  it  as  early  as  1644 
in  his  Gospel  Musick,  reprinting  its  preface  with  approval. 
Three  English  editions  had  already  appeared  and  more  were 
to  follow,  though  not  necessarily  for  exclusively  English 
use.  Among  those  who  turned  toward  a  modified  Psalter 
Patrick's  version  became  the  favorite. 

The  singing  of  hymns  in  Independent  meeting-houses 
began  in  the  last  quarter  of  the  XVIIth  century,^^  intro- 
duced there  as  elsewhere  by  divines  who  had  become  restless 
under  the  limitations  of  an  Old  Testament  Psalmody.  With 
the  right  of  each  congregation  to  regulate  its  own  worship 
and  the  prevalence  of  the  practice  of  lining  out  the  words, 
the  use  of  hymns  in  manuscript  required  merely  the  agree- 
ment of  pastor  and  people.  With  the  fraternization  of 
Independents  and  Presbyterians,  and  the  frequent  occupancy 
of  Independent  pulpits  by  Presbyterian  divines,  it  would  be 
difficult  to  distinguish  a  separate  origin  of  hymn  singing  in 
either  body.  It  would  be  still  more  difficult  to  show  that  the 
impulse  came  from  the  Independent  side. 

"''To  the  3rd  book  of  R.  Davis'  Hymns,  hereafter  referred  to,  was 
added  a  group  of  hymns  with  the  note :  "The  following  Hymns  were 
found  in  Mr.  Browning's  Study,  and  used  by  him  at  the  Lord's  Table." 
Browning  was  Davis'  predecessor  as  pastor  at  Rothwell,  and  according 
to  Glass  (Early  Hist,  of  Independent  Church  at  Rothwell,  n.  d.)  his 
pastorate  ended  in  1685. 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS    105 

During  the  last  decade  of  the  century  hymn  singing 
reached  the  stage  that  called  for  printed  hymn  books.  The 
Family  Hymns  of  Matthew  Henry,  has  been  already  re- 
ferred to  as  published  in  1695,  though  the  New  Testament 
hymns  were  not  added  till  the  second  edition  of  1702.  The 
publisher's  advertisement  at  the  end  of  the  1702  issue  shows 
quite  an  array  of  hymn  books  available  at  that  date,  and 
gives  a  clue  as  to  what  had  been  and  was  then  in  use.  There 
are  Mason's  Spiritual  Songs  in  its  seventh  edition,  with  the 
Penitential  Cries  of  Shepherd,  in  its  fifth  edition :  the  Pres- 
byterian Boyse's  Sacramental  Hymns:  A  Collection  of 
Divine  Hymns,  upon  several  occasions,  suited  to  our  com- 
mon tunes,  for  the  use  of  devout  Christians,  in  singing  the 
praises  of  God,  published  in  1694,  and  gathered  from  six 
authors,  including  Baxter  and  Mason  :  Select  Hymns,  taken 
out  of  Mr.  Herberts  Temple:  Bury's  A  Collection  of  Psalms, 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs,  fitted  for  morning  and  evening 
worship  in  a  private  family:  Baxter's  Poetical  Fragments 
in  its  third  edition :  and  Barton's  Six  Centuries  of  select 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  in  its  fourth  edition. 

This  list  is  substantially  a  catalogue  of  the  earliest  hymn- 
books  of  the  Independents,  as  also  of  the  Presbyterians. 
Simon  Browne,  in  the  preface  to  his  Hymns  and  Spiritual 
Songs,  London,  1720,  mentioning  the  books  of  Barton, 
Mason  and  Shepherd,  adds :  "Beside  some  collections  from 
private  hands,  and  an  attempt  to  turn  some  of  Mr.  Herbert's 
poems  into  common  metre,  these  I  have  mention'd  were  all 
the  hymns  I  know  to  have  been  in  common  use,  either  in 
private  families,  or  Christian-assemblies,  till  within  a  few 
years  past."  ^"' 

To  these  must  be  added  Stennett's  two  little  books  of 
sacramental  hymns,  and  also  a  volume  of  168  Hymns  com- 
posed on  several  subjects  and  on  divers  occasions  (date 
unknown)  by  Richard  Davis,  the  Independent  minister  of 
Rothwell,  to  which  some  hymns  by  others  were  added  in  a 
second  edition  in   1694.     These  warm  but  artless  hymns, 

'^p.  16  of  preface. 


io6  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

possibly  not  known  to  Browne,  were  acceptable  in  Davis's 
Rothwell  congregation  and  in  his  evangelistic  work  through 
the  midland  counties,  and  went  further.^^  They  were  com- 
mended by  John  Gill,^^  and  were  reprinted  in  London  as 
late  as  1833/0 

These  books  make  it  evident  enough  that  there  was  a 
beginning  of  Independent  hymn  singing  before  Watts.  We 
have  indeed  his  own  testimony  that  some  ministers  had 
already  commenced  to  use  "evangelical  hymns. "^^  But  such 
use  was  exceptional ;  the  books  marking  the  tentative  efforts 
of  progressive  individuals  rather  than  the  general  practice. 
In  the  great  body  of  the  meeting  houses  the  singing  of 
psalms  obtained  exclusively,  though  not  perhaps  very  jeal- 
ously. And  this  occasioned  the  remark  of  Enoch  Watts, 
that  "a  load  of  scandal"  lay  on  the  Independents  "for  their 
imagined  aversion  to  poetry."  ^^ 

In  view  of  the  new  leaven  about  to  be  introduced  into 
this  situation,  and  of  the  fact  that  from  among  the  Inde- 
pendents was  to  arise  the  principal  agent  of  the  effective 
transition  from  the  old  Psalmody  to  the  new  Hymnody,  it  is 
interesting  to  get  as  vivid  a  view  as  may  be  of  the  actual 
practice  of  psalm  singing  by  the  Independents  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  XVIIIth  century,  which  constitutes  the  back- 
ground against  which  the  work  of  Dr.  Watts  is  to  be  set. 

There  is  no  difficulty  in  reconstructing  its  salient  features. 
The  congregational  leadership  was  in  the  hands  of  a  pre- 
centor, generally  of  most  meagre  attainments.  The  singing 
was  still  dominated  by  the  universal  practice  of  lining  out 
the  psalm.     Very  few  tunes  were  used,  and  in  rendering 

"^This  early  book  of  Davis  was  distinctively  from  the  Independent 
side.  He  and  all  his  works  were  repudiated  by  the  Presbyterian  mem- 
bers of  the  London  "Meeting  of  Ministers"  and  by  Presbyterians  gen- 
erally. Cf.  R.  W.  Dale,  History  of  English  Congregationalism,  Lon- 
don, 1907,  pp.  479  ff. 

"'See  preface  to  7th  edition,  1748. 

""^A  brief  List  of  Hymn  Books  for  sale  by  Charles  Higham,  Lon- 
don, 1893. 

'^'Essay  prefixed  to  ist  edition  of  his  Hymns,  1707. 

"His  letter  in  Th.  Milner,  Life  of  Isaac  Watts,  London,  1834,  p.  178. 


LITURGICAL  USE  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNS    107 

these  all  the  notes  were  reduced  to  "a  constant  uniformity 
of  time."  Each  note  was  dwelt  upon  so  long  as  "puts  the 
Congregation  quite  out  of  breath  in  singing  five  or  six 
stanzas."'^  Musical  ignorance  and  incapacity  accompanied 
by  indifference  seems  to  have  been  very  general,  but  the 
Psalmody  as  practised  hardly  related  itself  to  music.  The 
people  carried  no  psalm  books  to  church,  had  neither  text 
nor  note  before  them,  and  must  often  have  failed  to  catch 
or  comprehend  the  line  as  the  precentor  gave  it  out.  In- 
strumental music  was  excluded  by  common  consent.'^'*  Many 
of  the  people  took  no  part  in  the  psalmody;  most  of  these 
failing  through  apathy,  but  some  consciences  even  at  that 
date  had  not  come  through  the  "controversie  of  Singing," 
and  refrained  for  cause.'^ 

The  apathy  of  the  people  doubtless  extended  to  many  of 
their  leaders,  who  as  a  class  were  no  longer  of  the  educated 
type  of  the  pastors  furnished  by  the  Ejectment.  To  some 
extent  the  people's  apathy  was  even  a  reflection  of  the 
exclusive  interest  of  the  average  Independent  minister  of 
the  period  in  the  sermon  and  prayer.  Dr.  Watts'  own  im- 
pressions of  the  Independent  psalmody  as  set  against  his 
ideals  of  the  ordinance  of  Congregational  Song  are  re- 
corded as  follows  in  the  preface  to  his  Hymns  of  1707: 

"While  we  sing  the  Praises  of  our  God  in  his  Church,  we  are  em- 
ploy'd  in  that  part  of  Worship  which  of  all  others  is  the  nearest  a-kin 
to  Heaven;  and  'tis  pity  that  this  of  all  others  should  be  perform'd 
the  worst  upon  Earth.  .  .  .  To  see  the  dull  Indifference,  the  negligent 
and  the  thoughtless  Air  that  sits  upon  the  Faces  of  a  whole  Assembly 
while  the  Psalm  is  on  their  Lips,  might  tempt  even  a  charitable  Ob- 
server, to  suspect  the  Fervency  of  inward  Religion,  and  'tis  much  to 
be  fear'd  that  the  Minds  of  most  of  the  Worshippers  are  absent 
or  unconcern'd.  .  .  .  But  of  all  our  Religious  Solemnities  Psalmodie 
is  the  most  unhappily  manag'd.  That  very  Action  which  should  elevate 
us  to  the  most  delightful  and  divine  Sensations  doth  not  only  flat  our 
Devotion,  but  too  often  awakens  our  Regret,  and  touches  all  the 
Springs  of  Uneasiness  within  us." 

"Watts,  preface  to  The  Psalms  of  David  imitated,  1719. 
''^Practical  Discourses  of  Singing   (already  cited),  pp.  137,  191. 
''^Ibid.,  Sermon  iv. 


CHAPTER    III 
DR.   WATTS'   "RENOVATION  OF   PSALMODY" 


HIS  PROPOSAL  OF  AN  EVANGELICAL  "SYSTEM 
OF  PRAISE"   (1707) 

With  the  work  of  Isaac  Watts  (1674-1748)  a  new  epoch 
began  in  EngHsh  Church  Song.  Behind  it  was  a  great 
personahty,  clear  of  vision,  fertile  of  resource,  dominant  in 
leadership.  And  no  small  part  of  his  equipment  was  his 
youthfulness.^  He  planned  and  began  his  work  in  the 
ardor  of  youth,  its  singleness  of  conviction,  its  preference 
of  radical  remedies  over  compromise,  its  comparative  dis- 
regard of  other  people's  feelings. 

There  is  no  better  way  of  approach  to  Watts'  work  than 
that  of  comparison  with  the  contemporaneous  Eastcheap 
movement  toward  bettering  Nonconformist  Psalmody.- 
Both  dealt  with  the  same  conditions,  and  sought  to  under- 
mine the  indifference  that  had  produced  them.  But  they 
differed  both  in  diagnosis  and  in  the  remedy  proposed. 

The  Eastcheap  lecturers  put  the  emphasis  on  "The  Duty 
of  Singing  in  the  Worship  of  God."  ^  The  failure  to  com- 
prehend this  duty  had  brought  about  the  current  neglect  and 

^  "Many  of  Dr.  Watts's  hymns  were  not,  it  is  understood,  written 
by  Dr.  Watts  at  all,  but  by  young  Mr.  Watts;  not  by  that  venerable 
man  with  venerable  wig,  who  figures  opposite  so  many  a  title-page, 
but  by  a  young  immature  Christian,  who  afterwards  became  this  ven- 
erable and  truly  admirable  person."  Thomas  Toke  Lynch,  in  Memoir 
of  him,  ed.  by  Wm.  White,  London,   1874,  p.  95. 

^See  the  account  of  it  in  chapter  ii,  part  iii. 

^Practical  Discourses  of  Singing  in  the  Worship  of  God,  London, 
1708,  preface,  p.  iii. 

108 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  109 

unskillful  performance  of  Psalmody.  As  to  what  should  be 
sung  they  were  not  agreed.  Three  favored,  or  took  for 
granted,  the  singing  of  psalms;  three  favored  supplement- 
ing psalms  with  New  Testament  songs;  the  other  simply 
recounted  the  triumphs  of  psalm  singing  in  the  past.  But 
Watts  attributed  the  great  part  of  current  indifference  to  the 
use  of  psalms,  and  exposed  the  foundations  on  which  Church 
Song  had  been  laid  at  the  Calvinistic  Reformation  as  in- 
adequate to  support  a  Christian  ordinance  of  Praise: 

"I  have  been  long  convinc'd,  that  one  great  Occasion  of  this  Evil 
arises  from  the  Matter  and  Words  to  which  we  confine  all  our  Songs. 
Some  of  'em  are  almost  opposite  to  the  Spirit  of  the  Gospel :  Many 
of  them  foreign  to  the  State  of  the  New-Testament,  and  widely  dif- 
ferent from  the  present  Circumstances  of  Christians.  Hence  it  comes 
to  pass  that  when  spiritual  Affections  are  excited  within  us,  and  our 
Souls  are  raised  a  little  above  this  Earth  in  the  beginning  of  a  Psalm, 
we  are  check'd  on  a  sudden  in  our  Ascent  toward  Heaven  by  some 
Expressions  that  are  more  suited  to  the  Days  of  Carnal  Ordinances, 
and  fit  only  to  be  sung  in  the  Worldly  Sanctuary.  When  we  are  just 
entring  into  an  Evangelic  Frame  by  some  of  the  Glories  of  the 
Gospel  presented  in  the  brightest  Figures  of  Judaism,  yet  the  very 
next  Line  perhaps  which  the  Clerk  parcels  out  unto  us,  hath  some- 
thing in  it  so  extremely  Jezvish  and  cloudy,  that  darkens  our  Sight  of 
God  the  Saviour :  Thus  by  keeping  too  close  to  David  in  the  House 
of  God,  the  Vail  of  Moses  is  thrown  over  our  Hearts.  While  we 
are  kindling  into  divine  Love  by  the  Meditations  of  the  loving 
kindness  of  God  and  the  Multitude  of  his  tender  Mercies,  within 
a  few  Verses  some  dreadful  Curse  against  Men  is  propos'd  to  our 
Lips.  .  .  .  Some  Sentences  of  the  Psalmist  that  are  expressive  of 
the  Temper  of  our  own  Hearts  and  the  Circumstances  of  our  Lives 
may  Compose  our  Spirits  to  Seriousness,  and  allure  us  to  a  sweet 
Retirement  within  our  selves ;  but  we  meet  with  a  following  Line  which 
so  peculiarly  belongs  but  to  one  Action  or  Hour  of  the  Life  of  David 
or  Asaph,  that  breaks  off  our  Song  in  the  midst ;  our  Consciences  are 
affrighted  lest  we  should  speak  a  Falsehood  unto  God."  * 

If  Watts  had  been  alone  in  these  views,  probably  he 
would  have  failed.    He  goes  on  to  say  that 

"Many  Ministers  and  many  private  Christians  have  long  groan'd 
under  this  Inconvenience,  and  have  wish'd  rather  than  attempted  a 
Reformation :  At  their  importunate  and  repeated  Requests  I  have  for 
some  Years  past  devoted  many  Hours  of  leisure  to  this  Service." " 

^Preface  to  Hymns,   1707,  pp.  iv-vi. 
''Ibid.,  p.  vi. 


no  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

In  the  way  of  remedying  the  low  state  of  Psalmody  it  is 
not  clear  that  the  Eastcheap  lecturers  had  anything  in  mind 
beyond  quickening  the  sense  of  duty  to  sing,  and  attention 
to  musical  instruction  such  as  the  Society  of  Gentlemen 
furnished  at  the  King's  Weigh  House.  Watts,  on  the 
other  hand,  believing  that  the  cause  of  trouble  lay  in  the 
matter  and  words  commonly  sung,  proposed  a  renovation 
^of  Psalmody  itself. ''  He  set  up  a  new  standard  of  Church 
Song,  having  these  criteria : 

■'  First,  it  should  be  evangelical:  not  in  the  sense  that  New 
Testament  songs  be  allowed  to  "supplement"  Old  Testament 
Psalms,  but  so  that  the  whole  body  of  Church  Song  be 
])rought  within  the  light  of  the  gospel. 
•  Second,  it  should  be  freely  composed,  as  against  the 
Reformation  standard  of  strict  adherence  to  the  letter  of 
Scripture  or  the  later  paraphrasing  of  Scripture. 

'  Third,  it  should  express  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  the 
singers,  and  not  merely  recall  the  circumstances  or  record 
the  sentiments  of  David  or  Asaph  or  another. 

From  this  point  of  view  Watts  planned  a  full-rounded 
"system"  of  evangelical  Hymnody.  This  system,  in  form 
rather  than  contents,  was  in  two  separate  parts;  one  being 
"imitations"  of  canonical  Psalms,  the  other  being  hymns 
more  or  less  Scriptural  in  content. 

I.  As  TO  Psalms.  Watts  had  no  intention  of  laying  them 
aside.*'  But  he  drew  a  sharp  distinction  between  reading  the 
Psalms  and  singing  them,  and  between  the  right  methods 
of  translating  them  for  the  particular  use  designed.  He 
held  that  the  Psalms  are  to  be  read  as  God's  word  to  us, 
and  for  that  end  must  be  translated  as  literally  as  possible. ''^ 
Such  translation  must  be  in  English  prose,  since  the  exigen- 
cies of  rhythm  and  rhyme  make  a  really  faithful  rendering 
of  the  Hebrew  into  English  verse  an  impossible  thing.^ 
Incidentally  therefore  he  held  that  those  who  believed  we 

^Ibid.,  p.  vi. 

'  "A  short  Essay  toward  the  Improvement  of  Psalmody,"  1707,  p.  243. 

"Ibid.,  pp.  241-242. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"     in 

may  sing  nothing  but  the  pure  word  of  God  must  resort  to 
a  prose  translation,  and  must  learn  the  Hebrew  music  or  at 
least  employ  the  method  of  chanting  practiced  in  English 
cathedrals.^ 

For  himself  he  believed  that  Congregational  Song  should 
represent  not  God's  word  to  us,  but  our  word  to  God,  and 
that  the  thoughts  and  language  of  the  Psalms  could  be 
employed  only  so  far  as  we  could  properly  make  them  our 
own.^"  Ancient  Jewish  songs  were  to  be  accommodated  to 
modern  Gospel  worship.^^  This  involved  the  omission  of 
several  Psalms  and  numerous  other  passages  "improper  for 
any  person  but  the  Royal  Author"  ;^^  also  the  adaptation  of 
the  remaining  material  so  as  to  make  David  always  speak 
as  Watts  had  reason  to  believe  he  would  have  spoken 
if  he  had  been  a  fully  instructed  Christian  living  in  the  day 
and  under  the  circumstances  of  Watts  himself.^^  Such 
adaptation  was  really  a  two-fold  process, — making  David 
speak  like  a  Christian  and  making  him  a  contemporary  of 
Watts. 

For  the  first  process,  that  of  "Christianizing"  the  Psalms, 
Watts  claimed  precedents,  especially  Dr.  Patrick's.^*  But 
Watts  contemplated  from  the  first,  and  ultimately  himself 
carried  out,  a  reconstruction  along  this  line  far  more  sys- 
tematic and  thoroughgoing  than  any  one  had  hitherto  ven- 
tured upon.  On  this  subject  his  feelings  were  deeply  stirred, 
and  he  wrote  and  acted  with  a  studied  aggressiveness  that 
aimed  to  conquer,  but  did  nothing  to  conciliate,  those  whom 
he  styled  "the  Patrons  of  another  Opinion." 

The  second  process,  however,  that  of  making  David  a 
contemporary,  was  surely  Watts'  own  conception,  and  it 
involved  some  curious  transformations  of  the  sacred  text. 
"Judah  and  Israel  may  be  called  England  and  Scotland,  and 

*Ibid.,  p.  243. 

^"Ibid.,  p.  244. 

^^Ibid.,  p.  254,  and  preface  to  Psalms,  &c.,  1719,  p.  xvi. 

"Preface  to  Psalms,  &c.,  p.  viii. 

""Essay,"  pp.  252-254. 

"Preface  to  Psalms,  &c.,  p.  vi. 


^ 


112  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

the  land  of  Canaan  may  be  translated  into  Great  Britain."  ^^ 
Historical  allusions  must  be  modified  accordingly.  David 
must  be  made  to  play  the  part  of  an  orthodox  and  patriotic 
English  Christian  of  the  early  XVHIth  century,  and  all 
royal  references  must  be  accommodated  to  the  person  of  the 
reigning  sovereign.  Only  thus,  in  Watts'  words,  can  the 
Psalms  "be  converted  into  Christian  Songs  in  our  Nation. "^^' 
If  this  seem  to  us  now  a  doubtful  device,  and  seemed  then  to 
a  watchful  remnant  of  psalm  singers  nothing  short  of  sac- 
rilege, it  did  not  offend  the  general  taste  of  the  time,  and 
proved  no  impediment  to  the  widespread  approval  of  Watts' 
scheme  for  the  improvement  of  Psalmody. 

II.  As  TO  Hymns.  Watts'  plan  included  also  the  com- 
posing of  "Spiritual  Songs  of  a  more  evangelic  frame  for 
the  Use  of  Divine  Worship  under  the  Gospel."  Their  use 
in  worship  he  supports  in  his  "Essay"  by  five  argu- 
ments:^''^— 

First.  A  Psalm  properly  translated  for  Christian  use  is 
no  longer  inspired  as  to  form  and  language :  only  its  mate- 
rials are  borrowed  from  God's  word.  It  is  just  as  lawful 
to  use  other  Scriptural  thoughts,  and  compose  them  into  a 
spiritual  song. 

Second.  The  very  ends  and  design  of  Psalmody  demand 
songs  that  shall  respond  to  the  fullness  of  God's  revelation 
of  Himself.  God's  revelation  in  Christ,  and  our  own  de- 
votions responding  to  it,  require  Gospel  songs. 

Third.  The  Scriptures  themselves,  especially  Eph :  v, 
19-20,  and  Col:  iii,  16-17,  command  us  to  sing  and  give 
thanks  in  the  name  of  Christ.  Why  shall  we  pray  and 
preach  in  that  name,  and  sing  under  terms  of  the  Law? 

Fourth.  The  Book  of  Psalms  does  not  provide  for  all 
occasions  of  Christian  praise,  or  express  all  Christian  ex- 
periences. 

Fifth.    The  primitive  "Gifts  of  the  Spirit"  covered  alike 

"  "Essay,"  p.  246. 
"Ibid.,  p.  246. 
"Ibid.,  pp.  256-266. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  113 

preaching,  prayer  and  song.  It  is  admitted  by  all  that, 
under  the  present  administration  of  Grace,  ministers  are  by 
study  and  diligence  to  acquire  and  cultivate  gifts  of  preach- 
ing and  prayer.  Why  shall  they  not  also  seek  to  acquire  and 
cultivate  the  capacity  of  composing  spiritual  songs,  and 
exercise  it  along  with  the  other  parts  of  worship,  preaching 
and  prayer? 

n 

HIS  FULFILMENT:  *'WATTS'S  PSALMS  AND 
HYMNS" 

With  this  understanding  of  Watts'  "Scheme  for  the 
Renovation  of  Psalmody,"  we  may  go  forward  to  consider 
his  own  contributions  to  it. 

Dr.  Gibbons  made  himself  responsible  for  the  familiar 
account  of  the  beginnings  of  Watts'  hymn  writing,  upon 
information  received  from  the  Rev.  John  Morgan,  who 
claimed  to  have  obtained  it  from  Watts'  colleague,  Samuel 
Price. ^^  It  is  to  the  effect  that  young  Watts,  having  ex- 
pressed to  his  father  his  disapproval  of  the  hymns  sung  at 
the  Southampton  meeting  house,  was  invited  to  improve 
upon  them.  The  hymns  in  question  were  those  of  Barton, 
of  whom  Watts'  brother  Enoch  wrote :  "Honest  Barton 
chimes  us  asleep."  ^^  Watts  furnished  a  specimen  hymn, 
which  was  so  successful  that  it  was  followed  by  others, 
until  a  considerable  number  were  in  use  by  the  congrega- 
tion. 

This  account  rests  on  hearsay  evidence,  but  is  probably 
substantially  true.  As  early  as  March,  1700,  Watts'  brother 
wrote,  reminding  him  of  importunities  already  made  to 
put  the  hymns  into  print  for  the  common  good.^^ 

^^Menwirs  of  the  Rev.  Isaac  Watts,  D.D.  By  Thos.  Gibbons,  Lon- 
don, 1780,  p.  254. 

^'Life,  Times  and  Correspondence  of  the  Rev.  Isaac  Watts,  D.D. 
By  Thos.  Milner,  London,  1834,  P-  ^77- 

'"Milner,  op.  cit.,  pp.  176  f. 


114  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

Watts  printed  his  first  volume  of  verse  in  December 
1705,^^  as  Horae  Lyricae:  Poems,  chiefly  of  the  lyric  kind. 
In  two  books.  I.  Songs  &c.  sacred  to  Devotion.  II.  Odes, 
Elegys,  &c.  to  Vertue  Loyalty  and  Friendship.  By  I. 
Watts.  London,  printed  by  S.  and  D.  Bridge,  for  John 
Lawrence,  at  the  Sign  of  the  Angel  in  the  Poultrey. 
MDCCVI. 

The  preface  is  a  protest  against  the  moral  decadence  of 
current  poetry,  and  a  justification  of  religious  themes  as 
suitable  for  poetic  treatment.  Book  I  contains  twenty-five 
hymns  and  four  Psalm  paraphrases  in  the  metres  of  the 
Old  Version,  and  eleven  religious  songs  or  pieces  of  vary- 
ing metrical  form.  In  Book  II  Watts  spreads  his  wings 
"in  the  free  and  unconfin'd  Measures  of  Pindar"  (which 
he  regarded  as  best  maintaining  the  dignity  of  religious 
themes,  and  giving  a  loose  to  the  devout  soul),^^  in  blank 
verse  and  in  other  metres. 

The  book  as  a  whole  is  addressed  to  lovers  of  poetry,  and 
Watts'  explanation  of  the  inclusion  of  the  hymns  reveals 
much  of  his  mind  and  purpose.  They  "were  never  written 
with  a  design  to  appear  before  the  Judges  of  Wit,  but  only 
to  assist  the  Meditations  and  Worship  of  Vulgar  Chris- 
tians." They  are  a  small  part  of  two  hundred  hymns  of 
the  same  kind  ready  for  public  use  if  these  are  approved  by 
the  world.  They  are  divided  from  their  fellows  and  here 
printed  because  "in  most  of  These  there  are  some  Expres- 
sions which  are  not  suited  to  the  plainest  Capacities,  and 
differ  too  much  from  the  usual  Methods  of  Speech  in  which 
Holy  Things  are  propos'd  to  the  general  Part  of  Man- 
kind." ^^  This  partition  of  his  materials  was  final.  The 
hymns  were  augmented  in  the  second  edition  of  the  Horae 
(1709),  but  they  always  constituted  a  distinct  group  apart 

"'It  bears  date  1706.  For  the  actual  time  of  publishing,  see  the 
writer's  note  in  The  Journal  of  The  Presbyterian  Historical  Society 
for  Sept.,  1902,  p.  358. 

"Preface,  p.  [vii]. 

^^Pp.  [viii,  ix]. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  115 

from  his  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  for  congregational 
use,  within  whose  covers  they  never  appeared.^"* 

It  appears  then  that  Watts'  admission  of  some  hymns  to 
a  place  among  his  poems  was  not  with  a  view  of  showing 
that  hymns  could  be  made  poetic,  but  was  the  result  of  a 
winnowing  process  in  which  the  body  of  his  hymns  was 
freed  from  the  suspicion  of  being  literary.  He  accounted 
himself  a  religious  poet,  with  a  right  to  address  "the 
Judges  of  Wit."  He  felt  also  a  real  sympathy  with  plain 
people  and  a  call  to  provide  them  with  hymns  on  the  level 
of  the  unpoetic  mind.  This  note  of  conscientious  conde- 
scension in  his  hymn  writing  he  never  failed  to  sound  on 
every  available  occasion.  He  chose  the  humbler  task,  and 
thus  inadvertently  secured  a  permanent  fame  to  which  his 
poetical  effusions  give  him  a  doubtful  title. ^^  What  is 
more  to  the  point,  he  thus  freed  his  hymns  from  the  arti- 
ficial standards  and  to  a  large  extent  from  the  perverted 
taste  of  his  time.  Having  demonstrated  in  the  Horae  that 
he  could  compose  pindarics,  he  expected  "to  be  for  ever  free 
from  the  Temptation  of  making  or  mending  Poems 
again,"  ^^  and  was  ready  to  give  his  hymns  to  the  churches. 

The  body  of  the  Hymns  appeared  in  July,  1707,^^  in  a         /         :jlc 
i6mo.  volume,  entitled  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs.     In 
three  Books.    I.   Collected  from  the  Scriptures.    H.    Com- 
pos'd  on  Divine  subjects.     HI.    Prepared  for  the  Lord's 

-'Some  of  the  hymns  from  the  Horae  came  into  use  after  Watts' 
death.  The  two  most  familiar  are : — "Father,  how  wide  thy  Glory 
shines !"  and  "Eternal  Power !  whose  high  Abode." 

"On  the  strength  of  his  Horae  Lyricae,  Watts   found  a  niche  in         / 
Johnson's  Lives  of  the  Poets.     A  later  historian  discerns  that  Watts'  ^   . 

"real  artistic  successes"  are  attained  in  his  best  hymns:  (Courthope, 
History  of  English  Poetry,  vol.  v.,  1905,  p.  336).  For  a  favorable 
view  of  his  metrical  experiments,  see  George  Saintsbury,  History  of 
English  Prosody,  vol.  ii,  1908,  pp.  508,  509. 

^"Preface  to  2nd  ed.  of  Horae  Lyricae  (1709),  which  is  a  very  dif-  ^ 

ferent  book  from  the  first  edition. 

"'See  "Autobiographical  Table"  reproduced  in  E.  P.  Hood,  Isaac 
Watts;  his  life  and  writings,  his  homes  and  friends;  London,  Rel.  Tr. 
Soc,  n.  d.,  p.  345. 


ii6  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Supper.  With  an  Essay  towards  the  improvement  of  Chris- 
tian Psalmody,  by  the  use  of  evangelical  Hymns  in  wor- 
ship, as  well  as  the  Psalms  of  David.  By  I.  Watts.  London, 
printed  by  J.  Humfreys,  for  John  Lawrence,  at  the  Angel 
in  the  Poultrey,  i/o/.^^  The  hymns  numbered  210,  fol- 
lowed by  a  group  of  doxologies,  at  least  three  of  which 
must  be  accounted  as  hymns.  Their  arrangement  humored 
current  prejudices.  Those  willing  to  sing  paraphrases  only 
might  find  78  in  the  first  book :  those  willing  to  sing  hymns 
at  the  Communion  only  might  find  22  in  the  third  book : 
those  welcoming  "free  composures"  had  no  more  in  the 
second  book.  The  hymns  were  confined  to  three  metres, 
Long,  Common  and  Short.  An  inspection  of  the  original 
text  of  the  hymns  shows  that  the  differences  between  it 
and  the  familiar  text  of  later  issues  are  fewer  and  less  im- 
portant than  might  have  been  expected. ^^ 

"^The  first  edition  of  the  Hymns  was  almost  thumbed  out  of  ex- 
istence. At  the  publication  of  Dr.  Julian's  scholarly  Dictionary  of 
Hymnology  in  1892,  every  copy  was  supposed  to  have  perished  (see 
2nd  ed.,  p.  1724).  The  announcement  of  the  sale  of  a  copy  at  Sotheby's, 
London,  in  Dec.  1901,  attracted  wide  attention,  and  it  brought  £140. 
There  are  now  at  least  two  copies  in  this  country,  one  in  the  New 
York  Public  Library  and  one  in  the  writer's  collection.  An  article 
in  The  Guardian  for  January  29,  1902,  by  Rev.  James  Mearns,  was 
the  first  account  of  this  epoch-making  book  ever  published.  For 
collation  and  bibliographical  data  of  this  and  subsequent  editions, 
with  facsimiles  of  title  pages  of  eds.  i  and  2,  see  the  writer's  paper 
on  "The  Early  Editions  of  Doctor  Watts's  Hymns"  in  The  Journal  of 
The  Presbyterian  Historical  Society   for  June,    1902. 

"The  following  are  among  the  more  interesting  of  these: 

"Come,  we  that  love  the  Lord,"  has  for  its  closing  lines : 
"We're  marching  thro'  Immanuel's  Ground 
To  a  more  joyful  Sky." 
"Come,  Holy  Spirit,  Heavenly  Dove,"  has  in  the  second  verse : 
"Look,  how  we  grovel  here  below, 
And  hug  these  trifling  Toys." 
"When  I  can  read  my  Title  clear,"  closes  thus: 
"Nor  dares  a  Wave  of  Trouble  roll 
Across  my  peaceful  Breast." 
"When  I  survey  the  wondrous  Cross,"  has  for  its  second  line: 
"Where  the  young  Prince  of  Glory  dy'd." 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  117 

In  a  lengthy  preface  Watts  restated  and  overstated  his 
sense  of  condescension  in  his  task  as  an  intent  to  write 
down  to  "the  Level  of  Vulgar  Capacities"  and  to  furnish 
in  Book  I  hymns  for  the  meanest  of  Christians.^*^  This 
language  he  modified  in  the  second  edition.  But  the  fullest 
and  most  characteristic  expression  of  his  views  on  Psalmody 
is  contained  in  "A  Short  Essay  toward  the  Improvement  Mt" 
of  Psalmody,"  from  which  quotations  have  been  already 
made.  It  covers  pages  233-276  in  the  first  edition,  and  did 
not  appear  again  in  print  until  the  collected  Works  after 
Watts'  death.^^  It  was  his  purpose  to  prepare  a  fuller 
treatise  on  Psalmody,  which  he  never  executed. ^^ 

The  Hymns  being  printed,  Watts  invited  criticisms  from 
his  friends,  and  continued  his  writing.  In  April,  1709,  "the 
Second  Edition.  Corrected  and  much  Enlarged,"  appeared. 
Some  fifty  lines  of  the  original  hymns  were  altered,  and 

"Why  do  we  mourn  departing  Friends?"  has  in  the  fifth  verse: 

"Thence  he  arose  and  clim'd  the  Sky." 
"Alas!  and  did  my  Saviour  bleed?"  has  at  the  close  of  the  second 
verse : 

"While  the  firm  mark  of  Wrath  Divine 
His  Soul  in  Anguish  stood?" 
"Now  to  the  Lord  a  noble  Song !"  has  in  the  fifth  verse,  "ye  Skies" 
(for  "ye  heavens"),  and  at  the  close  of  the  hymn: 

"And  play  his  Name  on  Harps  of  Gold !" 
In    1707   Watts   was   capable   of   offering  this  to  the   churches    for 
congregational  use  (Bk.  I,  No.  24,  vv.  5.6)  : — 

"S.  There  the  dark  Earth  and  gloomy  Shades 
Shall  clasp  their  naked  Body  round, 
And  welcome  their  delicious  Limbs 
With  the  cold  Kisses  of  the  Ground, 

"6.  Pale  Death  shall  riot  on  their  Souls, 
Their  Flesh  shall  noisom  Vermine  eat, 
The  Just  shall  in  the  Morning  rise 
And  find  their  Tyrants  at  their  Feet." 

'"Preface,  pp.  viii,  x. 

"There  were  no  less  than  seven  collective  editions  of  Dr.  Watts' 
Works :  the  earliest  being  that  of  1753,  in  6  vols.,  4to.,  ed.  by  Drs.  Jen- 
nings and  Doddridge. 

^^  "Advertisement"  to  the  2nd  ed.  of  Hymns. 


ii8  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

145  additional  hymns  appeared  here,  and  also  in  a  separate 
supplement  to  the  first  edition,  printed  at  the  same  time. 

With  this  second  edition  the  department  of  Hymns  in 
Watts'  System  of  Praise  was  completed.  None  of  the 
hymns  written  later,  was  incorporated  in  subsequent 
editions;  and  although  Watts  toward  the  end  of  his  Hfe 
expressed  a  desire  to  make  some  changes  of  text  to  accom- 
modate its  expressions  to  modified  theological  views,  no 
such  changes  were  ever  made.^^  This  situation  is  partly 
explained  by  the  fact  that  Watts  parted  with  the  copyright 
of  the  Hymns,  apparently  in  1709.  They  thus  passed  out 
of  his  control,  although  a  note  in  the  seventh  edition  of 
1720  shows  that  he  still  exercised  a  certain  supervision  of 
their  printing. 

Turning  now  to  the  Psalms : — 

Among  the  hymns  of  the  first  part  of  the  Horae  was  a 
little  group  of  four  Psalm  versions,  with  the  inscription 
"An  Essay  on  a  few  of  David's  Psalms  Translated  into 
Plain  Verse,  in  Language  more  agreeable  to  the  clearer 
Revelations  of  the  Gospel;"  showing  that  the  System  of 
Praise  as  just  described  lay  in  Watts'  mind  in  its  integrity 
from  a  very  early  date.  And  these  versions  did  in  fact 
prove  to  be  the  actual  nucleus  of  his  own  The  Psalms  of 
David  imitated,  as  published  13  years  later.  But  it  is  alto- 
gether unlikely  that  Watts  originally  proposed  to  depend 
altogether  upon  his  own  resources  for  filling  out  his  pro- 
posed System  of  Praise.  The  work  he  entered  upon  as  his 
own  was  the  department  of  Hymns. 

We  can  readily  trace  the  evolution  of  his  purpose  regard- 
ing the  Psalms.  In  the  first  edition  of  his  Hymns,  1707, 
he  included  in  all  among  the  Scripture  paraphrases  four- 
teen Psalm  versions.  Referring  to  them  in  his  preface, 
he  says : 

"After   this   manner   should   I   rejoice   to   see   a   good   part   of   the 

'Tor  a  discussion  of  the  evidence  concerning  Watts'  desire  to 
accommodate  the  text  to  his  later  views,  see  the  writer's  paper  already 
cited,  pp.  276-279. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  119 

Book  of  Psalms  fitted  for  the  use  of  our  Churches,  and  David  con- 
verted into  a  Christian.  In  the  first,  second  and  third  Psalms  es- 
pecially, I  have  attempted  a  Specimen  of  what  I  desire  and  hope  some 
more  capable  Genius  will  undertake.^^ 

In  the  preface  to  the  2nd  edition  of  the  Hymns,  two  years 
later  (1709),  Watts  states:  "Because  I  cannot  persuade 
others  to  attempt  this  glorious  Work,  I  have  suffered  myself 
to  be  persuaded  to  begin  it,  and  have,  thro'  Divine  Good- 
ness, already  proceeded  half  way  thro'."  In  the  preface  to 
the  third  edition  (1712),  he  speaks  of  being  daily  urged 
to  proceed  in  the  work,  of  having  been  hindered  by  pro- 
fessional duties,  and  of  his  expectation  "e're  long  to  fulfill 
my  Designs."  The  long  illness  beginning  in  that  year  de- 
barred Watts  from  his  pulpit,  but  afforded  the  opportunity 
of  finishing  his  work  upon  the  Psalms. 

The  results  appeared  in  1 719  in  a  i6mo  volume  with  the 
title : — The  Psalms  of  David  imitated  in  the  language  of 
the  New  Testament,  and  apply'd  to  the  Christian  state  and 
worship.  By  I.  Watts.  (London:  printed  for  J.  Clark, 
R.  Ford  and  R.  Cruttenden). 

The  volume  presents  to  the  eye  a  marked  contrast  with 
the  early  editions  of  the  Hymns,  which  were  rather  cheap 
and  poor.  Its  fine  paper  and  open  page,  its  engraved  head- 
pieces and  vignettes,  suggest  an  assured  welcome.  Numer- 
ous copies  survive  with  each  page  set  in  a  frame  of  hand- 
ruling,  and  bound  in  richly  tooled  red  morocco,  in  the  style 
of  luxurious  Prayer  Books  of  the  period. 

The  book  contains  versions  of  138  Psalms;  the  remaining 
12,  and  some  passages  from  those  retained,  being  excluded 
from  Watts'  System  as  unsuitable  for  Christian  use. 
Psalms  are  divided  and  passages  transposed  for  con- 
siderations of  convenience;  a  note  explaining  that  the  cus- 
tom of  singing  with  excessively  prolonged  notes  makes 
impracticable  the  singing  of  more  than  six  or  eight  verses 
at  one  time.^^    Of  many  Psalms  versions  in  two  or  three 

'Tp.  X,  xi. 
"Preface,  p.  xxiv. 


\/ 


v/ 


I20  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

metres  are  provided,  differing  at  times  in  the  degree  of 
closeness  to  the  original,  at  times  in  the  Christian  inter- 
pretation adopted.^^ 

A  characteristic  feature  is  the  notes  appended  to  the 
Psalms,  sometimes  critical  or  hermeneutical ;  often  frankly 
written  in  the  first  person,  to  tell  the  reader  his  reasons  for 
what  he  did,  or  of  the  lines  he  borrowed  from  some  earlier 
translator.  These  notes,  and  the  preface  of  twenty-nine 
pages,  entitled  "An  Enquiry  into  the  right  Way  of  fitting 
the  Book  of  Psalms  for  Christian  Worship,"  were  omitted 
from  the  second  edition,  appearing  the  same  year  as  the 
first,  but  in  smaller  and  cheaper  form.  At  the  close  of 
this  preface  Watts  characteristically  claimed  the  "Pleasure 
of  being  the  First  who  have  brought  down  the  Royal 
Author  into  the  common  Affairs  of  the  Christian  Life,  and 
led  the  Psalmist  of  Israel  into  the  Church  of  Christ,  with- 
out any  thing  of  a  Jew  about  him." 

With  the  publication  of  The  Psalms  of  David  imitated 
in  the  forty-sixth  year  of  his  life,  the  System  of  Praise 
which  Watts  had  begun  as  a  youth,  and  carried  forward 
through  years  of  ill-health,  was  complete.  He  was  by  no 
means  unaware  of  the  importance  of  his  performance,  and 
anticipated  something  at  least  of  the  success  it  attained.  Li 
a  note  appended  to  the  1720  edition  of  the  Hymns,  he  says : 

"It  is  presumed  that"  [The  Psalms  imitated]  "in  conjunction  with 
this,  may  appear  to  be  such  a  sufficient  Provision  for  Psalmody,  as  to 
answer  most  Occasions  of  the  Christian  Life :  And,  if  an  Author's  own 
Opinion  may  be  taken,  he  esteems  it  the  greatest  Work  that  ever  he 
has  publish'd,  or  ever  hopes  to  do,  for  the  use  of  the  Churches." 

This  judgment  has  been  sometimes  quoted  as  referring 
only  to  his  work  upon  the  Psalms,  but  it  plainly  includes 
his  whole  System  of  Praise. 

Some  notice  must  also  be  taken  of  Dr.  Watts'  work  in 
hymn  writing  outside  the  limits  of  this  System  of  Praise. 
Of  this  the  most  important  was  the  Divine  Songs  attempted 
in  easy  language,  for  the  use  of  children,  with  some  addi- 

^^Ibid.,  p.  xxvii. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  121 

fional  composures,  which  had  already  appeared  in  171 5. 
This  book  had  its  origin  in  the  request  of  a  friend  for 
hymns  to  be  used  in  connection  with  his  catechetical  instruc- 
tions. Both  for  its  contents  and  its  influence  it  is  worthy  to 
stand  beside  the  Psalms  and  Hymns;  for  it  must  be  re- 
garded as  the  fountain-head  of  the  afterwards  extensive 
Children's  Hymnody  in  the  English  language;  though  its 
constant  reprinting  for  a  century  was  as  a  book  of  verse 
or  a  chap  book,  and  not  as  a  children's  hymn  book.  In 
the  course  of  time  objection  came  to  be  made  to  the  appro- 
priateness of  its  theological  teachings.  But  Watts'  original 
preface  makes  it  abundantly  clear  that  he  aimed  to  avoid 
anything  like  theological  partisanship,  and  sought  to  put 
into  simple  verse  the  beliefs  and  the  tone  of  thought  that 
were  generally  held  at  the  time.  He  claimed  that  "children 
of  high  and  low  degree,  of  the  Church  of  England  or  dis- 
senters, whether  baptized  in  infancy  or  not,  may  join  to- 
gether in  these  songs."  ^^ 

In  three  volumes  of  Sermons,  appearing  in  1721,  1723, 
and  1727,  Watts  printed  hymns  suitable  to  the  subjects 
of  discourse.  In  his  Reliquiae  Juveniles:  miscellaneous 
thoughts  in  prose  and  verse  (London,  1734),  Watts  re- 
turned to  "the  Service  of  the  Muse"  he  had  abjured  twenty- 
five  years  earlier,  and  the  hymnic  element  is  very  small.  It 
is  even  smaller  in  the  volume.  Remnants  of  Time,  printed 
from  his  papers  after  his  death.  From  these  sources  nu- 
merous hymns  ultimately  found  their  way  into  hymn  books 
and  into  common  use,  and  in  1806  John  Dobell  printed 
Dr.  Watts  s  Fourth  Book  of  Spiritual  Hymns,  which  he 
had  gathered  together  in  his  zeal  that  nothing  be  over- 
looked. Nevertheless  the  Hymns  of  1707-09  and  The 
Psalms  imitated   of    1719,   which   by   the   middle   of   the 


'^Preface,  in  the  early  editions.  "For  their  epoch,  they  were  not  far 
from  perfection,  as  publishers  saw."  F.  J.  Harvey  Darton  in  The  Cam- 
bridge History  of  English  Literature,  vol.  xi,  1914,  p.  413.  For 
Abraham  Cheere  and  other  forerunners  of  Watts  in  writing  hymns 
for  children,  see  Julian,  Dictionary,  art.  "Children's  Hymns." 


122  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

XVnith  century  began  to  appear  bound  together  in  a 
single  handy  volume,  contained  Watts's  System  of  Praise 
in  its  entirety.^^ 

Ill 

HIS   SUCCESS:  THE  ERA  OF  WATTS 

I.     In  England 
I.    He  Dominates  the  Worship  of  the  Independents 

From  their  first  appearance  Watts'  Hymns  proved  a 
spiritual  delight  to  many,  and  were  introduced  into  such 
congregations  as  were  prepared  to  receive  them.  On  the 
other  hand  many  Independent  congregations  continued  their 
psalm  singing  without  regard  to  the  new  hymns,  so  strong 
was  conservative  habit  and  prejudice  against  hymns.  In 
view  of  the  extraordinary  success  ultimately  attained,  it  is 
easy  to  form  an  exaggerated  idea  of  the  facility  of  their 
actual  introduction  into  public  worship. 

The  English  Independent  congregations  at  the  time 
(1707)  probably  numbered  from  350  to  400,  and  were  much 
reduced  both  in  size  and  zeal.-"^^  The  fact  that  each  con- 
gregation was  free  to  sing  what  it  chose  and  under  no  obli- 
gation to  make  record  of  the  choice,  and  the  further  fact 
that  one  copy  in  a  precentor's  hands  might  serve  a  whole 
congregation,  make  it  difficult  to  trace  or  estimate  the 
process  of  introducing  Watts'  Hymns.  If  we  are  to  follow 
Walter  Wilson,  the  historian  of  London  Dissenting 
Churches,  the  Hymns  must  have  found  their  earliest  wel- 
come in  the  provinces.  Writing  in  1810,  under  the  full 
sway  of  the  Watts  tradition,  he  says : 

^"The  hymns  appearing  in  the  so-called  Posthumous  Works  (Lon- 
don, 1779,  2  vols.)  had  either  appeared  before  or  else  were  by  another 
hand.     Cf.  Gibbons,  Memoirs  of  Watts,  appendix  ii. 

"'^Cf.  R.  W.  Dale,  History  of  English  Congregationalism,  London, 
1907,  bk.  V,  chap.  v. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  123 

"The  poetry  of  Watts  was  received  but  slowly  into  most  of  our 
congregations.  It  is  only  of  late  years  that  it  has  acquired  so  general 
a  patronage,  and  even  in  the  present  day  there  are  many  who  prefer 
the  rhyming  of  Brady  and  Tate,  or  the  bald  version  of  the  Scotch. 
The  reason  is,  mankind  are  afraid  of  innovation,  and  it  is  only  by  de- 
grees that  their  prejudices  are  loosened."*" 

The  actual  demand  for  the  Hymns  can  be  judged  from 
the  editions  called  for.  The  first  edition  of  1707  was  ex- 
hausted apparently  before  the  end  of  i7o8,'*^  but  the  second 
did  not  appear  until  April,  1709,  being  delayed  in  the  print- 
ing. The  third  edition  appeared  in  1712,  the  fourth  in 
1 71 4.  At  the  appearance  of  The  Psalms  of  David  imitated 
in  1 719,  the  Hymns  were  in  their  sixth  edition;  the  seventh 
following  in  1720. 

The  Psalm  Imitations,  though  rousing  intense  hostility  in 
a  minority,  found  a  double  welcome,  from  those  wishing 
to  use  psalms  and  hymns  jointly,  and  from  those  ready  for 
modified  Psalm  versions  though  not  as  yet  for  hymns.  We 
have  Watts'  own  testimony  that  some  thousands  of  copies 
were  sold  within  a  year  of  publication.^^  Within  ten  years 
seven  editions  were  called  for.  The  practical  effect  of  in- 
troducing the  Imitations  was  to  extend  the  use  of  the 
Hymns  also.  Congregations  used  to  Dr.  Patrick's  versions 
seemed  to  be  taking  but  a  short  step  in  passing  to  Watts' 
Imitations.  But,  the  step  once  taken,  they  found  them- 
selves within  the  area  of  a  free  Christian  Hymnody,  in 
which  the  distinction  between  Psalm  and  Hymn  seemed 
hardly  more  than  a  convenience  in  classification  and  a 
deference  to  accustomed  usage. 

The  strengthening  hold  of  the  Hymns  appears  from  the 
preface  of  Simon  Browne's  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs, 
published  in  1720  at  London,  where  he  had  come  as  pastor 
of  "The  Old  Jewry."  Its  lengthy  justification  of  hymn 
singing  was  doubtless  directed  to  the  London  congregations 

■"T/iL'    History    and    Aiitiqitilics    of    Dissenting     Churches  .  .  .  in 
London,  &c.,  vol.  iii,  1810,  p.  527. 
*^Milner,  op.  cit.,  p.  229. 
*'Note  to  the  7th  ed.  of  Hymns. 


V 


124  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

to  which  Wilson  referred.  But  Browne  found  it  wise,  even 
at  that  early  day,  to  disclaim  any  purpose  of  superseding 
Watts'  Hymns:  "The  World,  I  hope,  will  not  do  me  the 
injury  to  think,  that  I  aim  at  being  his  rival.  These  hymns 
are  design'd  as  a  supplement  to  his,  not  intended  to  sup- 
plant them.  'Twill  satisfy  my  ambition,  if  they  may  assist 
the  devotion  of  private  Christians,  or  publick  assemblies, 
upon  such  subjects  as  he  hath  not  touched."  ^^ 

Twenty- four  years  later  Doddridge  was  able  to  say  to 
Watts : 

"Above  all  I  congratulate  you  that  by  your  sacred  poetry,  especially 
by  your  Psalms,  and  your  Hymns,  you  are  leading  the  worship  and  I 
trust  also  animating  the  devotion  of  myriads  in  our  public  assemblies 
every  Sabbath,  and  in  their  families  and  closets  every  day.  This, 
Sir,  at  least  so  far  as  it  relates  to  the  service  of  the  sanctuary,  is  an 
unparalleled  favour  by  which  God  hath  been  pleased  to  distinguish 
you,  I  may  boldly  say  it,  beyond  any  of  his  servants  now  upon  earth."  " 

After  forty  years  more  the  predilection  of  Independent 
congregations  for  Watts'  hymns  had  become  so  jealous 
that  Dr.  Gibbons  felt  called  upon  to  introduce  a  volume  of 
his  own  compositions  in  these  terms : 

"But,  though  [Watts]  has  done  much  and  perhaps  in  a  happier 
Manner  than  what  any  after  him  may  be  able  to  perform,  yet  he  has 
by  no  Means  precluded  the  Endeavours  of  others  in  the  same  Service. 
Are  there  not  Subjects  untouched  by  him  in  the  almost  infinite  Extent 
of  spiritual  Matter  that  may  be  very  suitably  wrought  up  into  sacred 
Songs?  And  is  it  not  a  Pleasure  to  the  human  Mind  not  to  be  perpet- 
ually restrained  to  the  same  Odes,  but  to  have  something  new  with 
which  to  employ  itself,  though  it  should  not  be  equal  in  Composition 
with  what  it  has  been  entertained  already;  and  why  should  not  new 
Hymns  as  well  as  new  Sermons  be  sent  into  the  World,  or  if  the  last 
have  proved  serviceable,  why  may  not  the  former  ?" " 

The  situation  revealed  by  this  apology  and  plea  had  not 
come  about  by  authority  or  contrivance,  but  by  the  deepen- 
ing love  of  the  people  for  the  hymns  of  Watts.  He  had 
sought  and  found  the  plane  of  their  thought  and  emotion, 

^^Preface,  p.   [xv]. 

"Doddridge  to  Watts,  Dec.  13,  1744,  in  Gibbons,  Memoirs,  p.  306. 
*^Preface  to  the  Hymns  adapted   to  Divine  worship  of    1784,   pp. 
xii,  xiii. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  125 

and  in  the  general  response  of  their  hearts  had  found  his 
just  reward.  An  illustration  of  this  is  furnished  by  Dr. 
Doddridge,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Watts,  dated  April  5,  1731 :  ■*" 

"On  Tuesday  last,  I  was  preaching  to  a  large  assembly  of  plain 
country  people  at  a  village  a  few  miles  off,  when,  after  a  sermon 
from  Hebrews,  vi.  12,  we  sang  one  of  your  hymns,  which,  if  I 
remember  right,  was  the  140th  of  the  2nd  book,  and  in  that  part  of 
the  worship  I  had  the  satisfaction  to  observe  tears  in  the  eyes  of 
several  of  the  people ;  and  after  the  service  was  over,  some  of  them 
told  me  that  they  were  not  able  to  sing,  so  deeply  were  their  minds 
affected !  and  the  clerk,  in  particular,  said  he  could  hardly  utter  the 
words  as  he  gave  them  out.  They  were  most  of  them  poor  people, 
who  work  for  their  living,  yet,  on  the  mention  of  your  name,  I  found 
that  they  had  read  several  of  your  books  with  great  delight;  and  that 
your  psalms  and  hymns  were  almost  their  daily  entertainment :  and 
when  one  of  the  company  said,  'What  if  Dr.  Watts  should  come  down 
to  Northampton !'  another  replied,  with  remarkable  warmth,  'The  very 
sight  of  him  would  be  as  good  as  an  ordinance  to  me.'  " 

The  feeling  for  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  thus  grew 
into  an  intense  personal  loyalty.  It  is  well  known  that  as 
late  as  the  XlXth  century  there  were  many  older  Congre- 
gationalists  who  refused  to  sing  any  other  hymns,  and  who 
kept  their  seats  when  such  were  announced. ^^ 

The  supremacy  which  Watts  gained  and  for  a  long  time 
kept  in  the  worship  of  the  Independent  churches  (as  also 
far  beyond  them)  was  indeed  a  triumph  of  personal  in- 
fluence and  of  principles  that  at  first  seemed  radical  enough. 
If  we  seek  a  date  at  which  his  domination  of  Independent 
worship  culminated, — that  is  to  say  when  the  use  of  his 
Psalms  and  Hymns  came  nearest  to  unanimity,  and  there 
was  least  disposition  to  look  beyond  its  covers — it  would 
lie  probably  somewhere  between  the  middle  and  end  of  the 
XVIIIth  century.  But  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  kept 
their  place  in  the  hearts  of  his  people,  and  continued  to  be 
used,  either  alone  or  supplemented,  until  far  into  the  XlXth. 
If  we  include  all  the  religious  bodies  that  used  them,  their 
actual  circulation  and  use  must  have  continually  increased, 

"Philip  Doddridge's  Correspondence  and  Diary,  London,  1829-31, 
vol.  iii,  pp.  74,  75. 

"Cf.  W.  G.  Horder,  The  Hymn  Lover,  London,  n.  d.,  p.  100. 


126  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

till  past  the  middle  of  the  XlXth  century.  It  is  calculated 
that  in  its  first  twent3''-five  years  a  new  edition  appeared 
every  year,  and  claimed  that  as  late  as  1864  60,000  copies 
were  sold  within  the  year.'*^ 

Striking  as  are  these  facts,  some  of  the  claims  made  for 
Watts  go  be3^ond  them.  It  is  difficult  to  follow  even  so 
competent  a  hymnologist  as  Mr.  Garrett  Horder,  when  he 
says  that  "For  more  than  a  century  Watts  remained  undis- 
puted master  of  the  hymnody  of  the  Independents.  No 
other  hymns  than  his  were  heard  in  any  of  the  assemblies" ; 
and  again,  that  "for  more  than  a  century  Watts  was  the 
only  hymnist  of  the  Independent  sanctuaries  of  our  land."^^ 

Where  is  the  place  of  that  century  in  the  calendar?  And 
is  such  absolute  uniformity  predicable  of  any  single  year 
of  either  the  XVIIIth  or  XlXth  centuries?  It  is  hardly 
conceivable  even  under  the  workings  of  a  Uniformity  Act, 
and  least  so  among  Independents.  We  have  to  take  account 
of  the  little  band  of  opponents  and  detractors,  led  by 
Thomas  Bradbury  within  their  ranks,  and  by  Romaine^*^ 
without,  who  accused  Watts  of  lampooning^^  and  "bur- 
lesquing" ^'-  the  Psalter,  and  refused  to  sing  "Watts' 
Whims"  :  ^^  also  of  the  congregations  in  which  psalm  sing- 
ing long  continued,^^  partly  for  conscience'  sake,  more  often 
doggedly. 

Moreover  the  very  success  of  Watts'  Hymns  raised  up 
a  succession  of  imitators,  and  their  use  called  forth  a  suc- 
cession of  "Supplements."  These  Supplements  did  not  re- 
spond to  any  demand  of  the  people  for  more  hymns,  but 
arose  from  the  ambition  of  ministers  to  get  their  own  hymns 

''^Duncan  Campbell,  Hymns  and  Hymn  Makers,  London,  1898,  p.  38. 

^''The  Hymn  Lover,  p.  100. 

^""Why  should  Dr.  Watts  .  .  .  take  the  precedence  of  the  Holy 
Ghost?"     Romaine,  Essay  on  Psalmody,  1775,  P-  106. 

"Bradbury  to  Watts,  March  7,  1725-6,  in  Watts'  Posthumous  Works, 
vol.  ii,  p.  202. 

^- Watts  to  Bradbury,  March  15,  1725-6,  Ibid.,  vol.  ii,  p.  212. 

^^Wilson's  Dissenting  Churches,  vol.  iii,  p.  527. 

"C/.  Wilson,  as  already  quoted. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  127 

into  use,  or  their  wish  for  hymns  ilUistrative  of  a  greater 
number  of  sermon  topics.  It  is  true  that  their  supple- 
mentary form  bore  the  strongest  testimony  to  Watts'  as- 
cendency, but  they  also  prevented  that  ascendency  from 
becoming  complete.  Some  gained  a  considerable  circula- 
tion. Even  the  relatively  unsuccessful  ones  were  doubtless 
used  in  the  compiler's  own  congregation  and  more  or  less 
in  the  congregations  of  his  friends. 

These  Supplements  began  in  1720  with  Simon  Browne's 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs.  In  three  Books  (London), 
containing  266  hymns,  all  by  himself.  This  reached  a 
second  edition  in  1741,  a  third  in  1760,  and  a  number  of 
the  hymns  continued  in  later  use.^^  In  1769  Dr.  Thomas 
Gibbons  (Watts'  biographer)  published  a  collection,  partly 
original,  of  Hymns  adapted  to  Divine  worship:  in  two 
Books  (London)  ;  and  a  second  (entirely  original)  in  1784, 
under  the  same  title.  Their  narrow  welcome  and  use  ap- 
pears from  the  statement  in  the  1784  preface  that  some 
copies  of  the  earlier  book  remained  unsold.  Nor  was  the 
later  book  ever  reprinted.  George  Burder,  author  of  the 
once  famous  Village  Sermons,  published  in  1784  A  Collec- 
tion of  Hymns  from  various  authors,  designed  as  a  Sup- 
plement to  Dr.  Watts's  Psalms  and  Hymns.  He  aimed  to 
gather  up  the  best  hymns  published  since  Watts'  death  by 
such  writers  as  Doddridge,  Newton  and  Cowper,  the  Wes- 
leys,  and  Toplady.  His  book  met  a  warm  welcome,  found 
continuous  use,  and  by  1840  had  reached  its  thirty-seventh 
edition.  So  far  was  Burder  from  wishing  to  dislodge  Watts 
from  his  supremacy  that  he  published  in  181 2  an  edition 
of  the  Psalms,  Hymns,  and  Spiritual  Songs  by  tJie  Rev. 
Isaac  Watts,  D.D.,  with  some  improvement  in  their  ar- 
rangement.     William  Jay  of   Bath,   a   warm   admirer  of 

'''A  recast  of  his  "Come,  holy  spirit,  heav'nly  dove,"  is  still  familiar. 
Browne  aimed  at  "the  improvement  of  Psalmody."  He  bound  up  with 
his  Hymns  "A  Sett  of  Tunes  in  3  Parts  (Mostly  New),"  wrote  a 
"book"  of  hymns  in  "uncommon  metres,"  and  designated  an  appro- 
priate tune  for  each  hymn. 


128  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Watts,  but  desiring  a  greater  variety  of  metres  and  cor- 
responding tunes,  published  in  1791  Selection  of  Hymns 
of  peculiar  metre,  intended  for  the  use  of  the  Congregation 
meeting  in  Argyle  Chapel.  It  reached  a  second  edition  in 
1797,  and  became  the  basis  of  his  Hymns  as  an  Appendix  to 
Dr.  Watts  (Bath,  1833).  The  supplementing  of  Watts 
assumed  great  proportions  in  A  Collection  of  above  six  hun- 
dred Hymns:  designed  as  a  new  Supplement  to  Dr.  Watts' s 
Psalms  and  Hymns.  By  the  Rev.  Edzvard  Williams,  D.D., 
and  the  Rev.  James  Boden  (Doncaster,  1801).  It  reached  a 
second  edition  in  1803,  a  third  in  1806,  and  a  fifth  in  1812. 
Dr.  Williams  also  printed  an  improved  edition  of  The 
Psalms  and  Hymns  of  Dr.  Watts,  claiming  that  "as  the 
current  editions  are  almost  innumerable,  so  by  far  the 
greater  number  of  them  are  shamefully  incorrect."  John 
Dobell  sought  even  greater  bulk  in  his  A  new  Selection  of 
seven  hundred  evangelical  Hymns  .  .  .  intended  as  a  Sup- 
plement to  Dr.  Watts' s  Psalms  and  Hymns  (London, 
1806).  After  additions  the  title  read  more  than  eight  hun- 
dred, and  Dobell  arranged  for  binding  in  with  it  his  Dr. 
Watts' s  Fourth  Book  of  Spiritual  Hymns.  In  the  Hymns, 
partly  collected,  and  partly  original,  designed  as  a  supple- 
ment to  Dr.  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns:  by  William  Bengo 
Collyer,  D.D.  (London,  1812),  no  less  than  979  hymns 
were  provided,  57  of  them  original.  Thomas  Russell's  A 
Collection  of  Hymns  designed  as  an  Appendix,  &c.  (Lon- 
don, 1 813),  was  somewhat  smaller  and  was  more  popular, 
attaining  its  twenty-second  edition  in  1843.  Dr.  Andrew 
Reed's  Supplement  of  181 7  became  the  nucleus  of  his  more 
important  Hymn  Book  of  1842.  Something  in  the  way 
of  concerted  action  as  to  Hymnody  began  to  seem  expedi- 
ent, and  in  1822  a  committee  of  ministers  in  Leeds  pub- 
lished A  Selection  of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  the  Protestant 
Dissenting  Congregations  of  the  Independent  Order  in 
Leeds. 

This  succession  of  "Supplements"  to  Dr.  Watts'  tells  its 
own  story  of  a  progress  so  natural  and  inevitable  as  to 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  129 

require  little  emphasis  were  it  not  for  the  curious  and 
familiar  assumption  of  the  exclusive  use  of  Watts'  Psalms 
and  Hymns,  which  even  Dr.  Conder  expressed  in  1851  by 
speaking  of  "our  having  been  for  a  long  time  confined  to 
this  one  Book."  ^^ 

When  the  Congregational  Union  undertook  the  prepara- 
tion of  an  official  hymn  book  for  general  use,  Dr.  Conder 
and  others  who  discerned  the  signs  of  the  times  favored  a 
selection  of  Watts'  best  and  of  hymns  by  others  in  a  single 
volume.^*"  But  the  majority  were  unwilling  to  give  up 
"Watts  Entire";  and  in  1836  The  Congregational  Hymn 
Book  appeared  as  still  A  Supplement  to  Dr.  Watts's  Psalms 
and  Hymns,  containing  a  good  selection  of  620  hymns 
edited  by  Dr.  Conder.  The  result  was  that  in  the  years 
following  many  congregations  gave  up  the  use  both  of 
Watts  and  The  Congregational  Hymn  Book  in  favor  of 
private  collections  more  compact  and  convenient. 

The  striking  ascendency  of  Dr.  Watts  over  Independent 
worship  had  at  last  reached  its  inevitable  end.  The  re- 
action, equally  inevitable  to  a  popularity  so  great  as  to  be 
undiscriminating,  soon  followed.  It  was  discovered  that  a 
considerable  percentage  of  Watts'  work  was  prosaic  and 
mechanical,  and  sometimes  in  questionable  taste.  People 
began  to  wonder  why  the  churches  had  so  long  allowed  a 
single  mind  to  dominate  their  song.  A  winnowing  of  the 
familiar  Psalms  and  Hymns  began,  and  has  steadily  pro- 
ceeded to  our  own  time,  with  the  result  that  in  some  recent 
Congregationalist  hymnals  Dr.  Watts'  contributions  are 
outnumbered  by  the  Methodist  Wesley  and  the  high  church 
Neale.  It  is,  however,  to  be  said  that  the  adoption  of  a 
hymn  book  by  a  single  author  had  not  seemed  strange  to 
congregations  accustomed  to  one  version  of  the  Psalms. 
And  we  may  agree  with  Conder^^  that  the  addiction  of  the 
Independents  to  Watts  fixed  the  character  of  their  devo- 

■^'Josiah  Conder,  The  Poet  of  the  Sanctuary,  London,  1851,  p.  68. 
^~'Ihid.,  p.  69. 
'Hbid.,  p.  68. 


.I30  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

tions,  and  under  Providence  preserved  an  evangelical  tone 
of  sentiment  in  their  church  worship. 

2.     His   Ascendency   over   the    Presbyterians    Ter- 
minates IN  A  Unitarian  Hymnody 

The  measure  of  welcome  given  by  Presb3^erians  to  the 
Psalms  and  Hymns  of  Watts  is  hardly  to  be  distinguished 
from  that  of  the  Independents  with  whom  they  fraternized. 
Some  congregations,  desiring  an  evangelical  Hymnody, 
were  ready  to  introduce  the  Hymns;  some  awaited  the 
appearance  of  the  Psalms;  others  were  prejudiced  in  favor 
of  the  stricter  type  of  Psalmody. 

It  was  the  refusal  in  171 7  of  James  Peirce,  pastor  of  a 
psalm  singing  congregation  at  Exeter,  to  continue  the  ac- 
customed singing  of  the  doxology  after  the  psalm  that 
marked  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  English  Presbyterian- 
ism.^^  He  might,  and  probably  did,  allege  his  objection  to 
sing  anything  but  the  words  of  Psalms.®*'  But  the  dox- 
ology was  specifically  Trinitarian,  and  the  time  one  of  dread 
lest  the  Arianism  that  had  affected  the  Church  of  England 
should  spread  to  Dissent.  Peirce  denied  holding  Arian 
views,  but  refused  as  tyrranous  the  demand  of  a  committee 
exercising  Presbyterial  charge  of  the  five  Exeter  meetings 
that  he  sign  a  declaration  of  belief  in  the  Trinity.  In  this 
refusal  he  had  wide  sympathy.  As  a  result  of  the  Salters' 
Hall  controversy  of  1719,*^^  to  which  it  gave  rise,  the 
majority  of  Presbyterian  ministers  became  committed  to 
the  attitude  of  non-subscription  to  any  doctrinal  formulas. 
In  the  fifty  years  following,  most  of  the  churches  that  did 
not  die  out  or  seek  a  refuge  in  Independency  yielded  one 
by  one  to  the  influences  of  the  time,  and  drifted  through 

"McCrie,  Annals  of  English  Presbytery,  London,  1872,  p.  301. 

^"Cf.  Drysdale,  History  of  Presbyterianism  in  England,  London, 
1889,  p.  500. 

•"For  an  account  of  it  see  H.  S.  Skeats,  A  History  of  the  Free 
Churches  of  England,  2nd  ed.,  London,  1869,  pp.  302  ff.  Watts,  like 
Calamy,  refused  to  attend  the  meeting  at  Salters'  Hall. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  131 

various  stages  of  Arian  belief  into  the  developed  Unitarian- 
ism  of  the  latter  part  of  the  XVIIIth  century. 

During  the  earlier  of  these  years  the  propriety  of  using 
Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  remained  unquestioned.  But  it 
was  inevitable  that  certain  passages  should  be  confronted 
by  the  new  opinions,  especially  the  "Song  of  Praise  to  the 
ever-blessed  Trinity,"  as  Watts  entitled  the  doxologies  at 
the  end  of  his  volume  of  Hymns. 

Martin  Tomkins,  dismissed  from  a  dissenting  pulpit  as 
an  Arian,  and  attending  the  Mare  Street  Presbyterian  Meet- 
ing at  Hackney,  frequently  protested  against  the  use  of  the 
doxologies  there.  The  pastor,  the  Rev.  John  Barker,  one 
of  the  minority  for  subscription,  declined  to  discontinue  the 
custom.  Tomkins  printed  in  1738  A  calm  Enquiry  whether 
we  have  any  warrant,  from  Scripture,  for  addressing  our- 
selves, in  a  way  of  prayer  or  praise,  directly  to  the  Holy 
Spirit,  etc. ;  prefaced  by  a  letter  to  Mr.  Barker,  repeating 
his  protests,  and  reinforced  by  quotations  from  Watts'  later 
works.  In  a  letter  to  Dr.  Watts,  dated  April  21,  1738,  Mr. 
Tomkins  put  to  him  the  direct  question, — 

"Whether  you  now  approve  of  what  you  have  said  concerning  the 
Gloria  Patri,  in  your  Book  of  Hymns;  and  whether,  upon  your  present 
notion  of  the  Spirit,  you  can  esteem  some  of  those  Doxologies  you 
have  given  us  there,  I  will  not  say,  'as  some  of  the  noblest  parts  of 
Christian  worship,'  but  as  proper  Christian  worship?  And  if  not, 
whether  you  may  not  think  it  becoming  you,  as  a  lover  of  truth,  and 
as  a  Christian  minister,  to  declare  as  much  to  the  world ;  and  not 
suffer  such  forms  of  worship  to  be  recommended  by  your  name  and 
authority,  to  the  use  of  the  Christian  Church  in  the  present  time  and 
in  future  generations?" 

On  the  margin  of  this  letter  (then  in  Mr.  Palmer's  posses- 
sion) Dr.  Watts  had  endorsed  some  twenty  remarks,  and 
opposite  the  last  paragraph  wrote : 

"I  freely  answer,  I  wish  some  things  were  corrected.  But  the  ques- 
tion with  me  is  this :  as  I  wrote  them  in  sincerity  at  that  time,  is  it 
not  more  for  the  edification  of  Christians,  and  the  glory  of  God,  to  let 
them  stand,  than  to  ruin  the  usefulness  of  the  whole  book,  by  correct- 
ing them  now,  and  perhaps  bring  further  and  false  suspicions  on  my 
present  opinions?  Besides,  I  might  tell  you,  that  of  all  the  books  I 
have  written,  that  particular  copy  is  not  mine.     I  sold  it  for  a  trifle  to 


132  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Mr.  Lawrence  near  thirty  years  ago,  and  his  posterity  make  money  of 
it  to  this  day,  and  I  can  scarce  claim  a  right  to  make  any  alteration 
in  the  book  which  would  injure  the  sale  of  it."" 

A  perhaps  exaggerated  impression  of  the  change  in  Dr. 
Watts'  views  served  to  endear  his  Psalms  and  Hymns  to  the 
Presbyterians.  Some  congregations,  by  the  simple  expedient 
of  omitting  certain  passages  and  the  doxologies,  kept  them 
in  use  until  the  end  of  the  XVHIth  century.*^^  But  long 
before  that  various  ministers,  by  modifying  or  supplement- 
ing Watts,  had  prepared  for  their  congregations  praise 
books  more  consonant  with  the  new  views.  In  most  of 
them  Watts'  text  was  freely  "tinkered."  The  report  was 
industriously  circulated  that  he  had  planned  and  even  exe- 
cuted a  revision  of  his  Hymns  on  Arian  lines,  all  evidence 
of  which  was  suppressed  at  his  death.^'*  The  report  was 
plainly  unwarranted,  but  it  encouraged  the  hymn  book 
makers  to  do  for  him  what  they  supposed  he  would  have 
done  on  his  own  behalf. 

The  eminent  Michaijah  Towgood  is  thought  to  be  the 
editor  of  A  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  Divine 
worship  (London,  1757;  2nd  ed. :  1779).  In  it  Watts 
was  supplemented  by  Tate  and  Brady,  Addison,  Doddridge 
and  Browne.  Michael  Pope  of  the  Leather  Lane  Meeting, 
London,  followed  with  A  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns 
for  Divine  worship  (London,  1760).  Of  these  more  than 
half  were  from  Watts,  freely  altered;  and  there  were 
original  contributions  from  Kippis,  Grove  and  other  Pres- 
byterians. Two  books,  the  first  partly,  the  second  wholly, 
edited  by  Dr.  Enfield,  had  a  much  longer  life: — A  new 
Collection  of  Psalms  proper  for  Christian  worship  (Liver- 
pool, 1764),  and  Hymns  for  public  worship,  selected  from 

"These  documents  were  printed  from  the  originals  by  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Palmer  in  his  notes  to  Johnson's  Life  of  Watts  (i790-  They 
were  reprinted  in  the  Boston  Memoirs  of  Watts  and  Doddridge  (i793). 
and  substantially  in  Milner. 

^^Cf.  preface  to  A  Collection  of  Hymns  and  Psalms,  ed.  by  Kippis 
et.  al.  1795. 

"See  "The  Early  Editions  of  Watts's  Hymns,"  already  cited. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  133 

various  authors,  and  intended  as  a  Supplement  to  Dr. 
Watts' s  Psalms  (Warrington,  1772).  To  the  latter  the 
editor's  neighbor,  Mrs.  Barbauld,  contributed  six  hymns, 
two  of  which  are  still  sung.  An  abridgment  of  Dr.  Watts's 
Psalms  and  Hymns,  with  some  alterations,  &c.  (cir.  1780), 
edited  by  W.  Wood  and  B.  Carpenter,  is  interesting  for 
its  reversion  to  that  author  and  restoration  in  the  main  of 
his  text. 

The  new  "Presbyterianism"  had  already  been  augmented 
by  recruits  from  the  Church  of  England,  who  brought  with 
them  a  taste  for  liturgical  worship.  A  series  of  psalm  and 
hymn  collections  appended  to  Forms  of  Prayer  began  with 
A  Form  of  Prayer  and  a  new  Collection  of  Psalms,  for  the 
use  of  a  Congregation  of  Protestant  Dissenters  in  Liver- 
pool (Liverpool,  1763).*^^  Theophilus  Lindsey's  A  Collec- 
tion of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  public  worship,  which  fol- 
lowed in  1774,  was  appended  to  Dr.  Samuel  Clarke's  rescen- 
sion  of  the  Prayer  Book.  The  most  interesting  of  the 
group  is  A  Collection  of  Hymns  for  public  worship:  on  the 
general  principles  of  natural  and  revealed  Religion  (Salis- 
bury, 1778).  It  aimed  at  the  common  denominator,  shun- 
ning spheres  of  controversy.  It  reflects  also  the  poetic 
feeling  of  one  of  its  editors,  Benjamin  Williams,  last  min- 
ister of  the  old  Presbyterian  congregation  in  Salisbury :  it 
has  metrical  variety,  and  attains  a  flavor  of  letters. 

By  this  time  the  number  of  available  hymn  books  was 
considerable  in  England,  and  two  were  about  to  appear  in 
the  North  of  Ireland,  where  the  Scottish  Psalms  in  meeter 
had  so  far  continued  in  vogue : — the  Hymns  for  the  use  of 
the  Presbyterian  Congregation  in  Lisburn  (Belfast,  1787), 
and  a  Londonderry  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  proper 
for  Christian  worship  (1788).  The  older  Presbyterianism 
was  being  completely  submerged  by  Unitarianism  of  the 
more  aggressive  type,  as  represented  by  Priestley,  leaving 

*°C/.  an  interesting  note  by  Jas.  Martineau  in  the  index  to  The 
University  Hymn  Book,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  1895,  under  "Collet, 
Samuel." 


134  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

hardly  a  vestige  of  its  earlier  denominational  existence 
beyond  the  name  "Presbyterian"  still  applied  to  Unitarian 
chapels.  Newcome  Cappe  of  York  endeavored  to  keep  to 
common  ground  by  confining  himself  to  Psalms  in  A  Selec- 
tion of  Psalms  for  social  ivorship  (1786),  and  George 
Walker  of  Nottingham  published  A  Collection  of  Psalms 
and  Hymns  for  public  worship,  unmixed  with  the  disputed 
doctrines  of  any  sect  (Warrington,  1788).  But  Priestley 
himself,  in  his  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  the  use  of  the  New 
Meeting  in  Birmingham  (1790),  freely  modified  Watts 
"for  the  sake  of  rendering  the  sentiment  unexceptionable 
to  Unitarian  Christians."  "It  is  to  long  use  only,"  he 
claimed  in  the  preface,  "that  many  of  Watts's  own  verses 
are  indebted  for  the  little  offence  they  now  give  even  to 
the  ear,  and  much  more  to  the  understanding."  Unhappily 
the  fire  by  which  the  mob  destroyed  his  dwelling  and  the 
New  Meeting  House  consumed  the  new  hymn  books  also 
to  such  an  extent  that  his  people  had  to  fall  back  upon 
Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  in  their  unexpurgated  form,  as 
used  at  the  Old  Meeting. 

In  London  and  its  vicinity  "the  generality  of  the  Presby- 
terian Societies  [had]  contented  themselves  solely  with  Dr. 
Watts's  Psalms."  ^^  To  correct  this  four  ministers,  headed 
by  the  venerable  and  admirable  Andrew  Kippis,  combined 
to  issue  A  Collection  of  Hymns  and  Psalms  for  public  and 
private  worship;  selected  and  prepared  by  Andrew  Kippis, 
D.D.,  F.R.S.,  &  F.S.A.;  Abraham  Rees,  D.D.,  F.R.S., 
F.L.S.;  the  Rev.  Thomas  Jervis,  and  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Morgan,  LL.D.,  London,  1795.  Its  690  pieces  were  selected 
and  pruned  "to  promote  just  and  rational  sentiments  of 
religion."  There  was  a  second  edition  in  1797,  and  supple- 
ments in  1807  and  1852.  This  collection  found  a  wider 
acceptance  and  use  than  any  of  its  predecessors,  which  were 
mostly  confined  to  the  localities  in  which  their  several 
editors  ministered.  It  was  probably  fairly  representative 
of  the  Unitarianism  of  the  XVIIIth  and  early  XlXth  cen- 

^Treface  to  the  Kippis  Collection,  1795. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  135 

turies.  But  the  celebration  of  the  Divine  nature  and  works 
to  which  it  was  mainly  devoted  does  not  appear  to  have 
aroused  any  warmth  of  feeling  in  the  compilers,  and  their 
avoidance  of  the  area  of  personal  Christian  experience 
seems  to  leave  the  worshipper  a  spectator  at  Bethlehem  and 
Calvary  rather  than  a  participant  in  redemption.^  ^ 

The  individualism  of  the  Unitarian  movement  militated 
not  only  against  a  standard  of  doctrine  but  even  against  a 
common  hymn  book.  English  and  Irish  Unitarian  Hym- 
nody  has  no  corporate  history,  but  proceeds  by  a  succession 
of  individual  hymn  books;  and  in  their  production  the 
years  following  the  publication  of  the  Kippis  Collection 
were  the  most  active.  The  earlier  period  of  Unitarian 
Hymnody  may  be  regarded  as  ended  when  in  1840  Dr. 
Martineau  published  his  Hymns  for  the  Christian  Church 
and  Home.  And  it  has  been  estimated  that  in  the  forty-five 
years  intervening  between  Kippis  and  Martineau  on  an 
average  one  Unitarian  hymn  book,  large  or  small,  was 
issued  every  year.^^  Of  these  the  most  significant,  from  the 
point  of  view  of  circulation  and  use,  were  Robert  Aspland's 
A  Selection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  Unitarian  worship 
(1810),^^  Dr.  Lant  Carpenter's  A  Selection  of  Psalms  and 
Hymns  for  social  and  private  worship  ( Exeter,  1 8 1 2 ) ,  and 
A  Selection  of  Hymns  and  Psalms  for  Christian  worship. 
By  H.  E.  Howse,  jun.  (Bath,  1830).  Howse  claimed  no 
"superior  assortment  of  hymns,"  but  offered  to  the  poor 
"a  good  sized  Hymn  Book  at  a  low  price"  (in  32mo  i^.), 
and  seems  thus  to  have  met  a  need. 

But  a  few  collections  of  the  period  have  a  special  interest 
as  bearing  upon  the  development  of  a  Unitarian  Hymnody. 
The  need  of  it,  and  also  the  ideal  of  it  as  presented  to  the 
minds  of  the  early  leaders,  are  set  forth  in  George  Walker's 
preface  of  1788: — 

"C/.  a  Unitarian  estimate  in  Julian,  Diet.  Hymn.,  p.  1193. 
*^Valentine  D.  Davis  in  Julian,  ut  supra. 

*'In  this  the  term  "Unitarian"  seems  to  have  first  appeared  on  the 
title-page  of  a  hymn  book. 


136  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

"The  great  change  in  religious  faith  which  has  taken  place  in  this 
island,  since  the  period  in  which  the  different  collections  of  Psalms 
or  Hymns  of  most  general  acceptation  were  first  introduced,  has 
rendered  it  highly  improper,  if  not  absolutely  criminal,  to  continue 
any  longer  in  the  use  of  what  the  mind  at  present  revolts  from. 
Whatever  be  the  faith  of  any  society,  no  worship  ought  to  be  presented 
to  God,  which  contradicts  that  faith.  It  had  indeed  been  well  if  the 
peculiarities  of  religious  faith  had  never  intruded  into  a  part  of 
worship,  whose  characteristic  features  are  gratitude,  and  a  virtuous 
conformity  to  the  will  of  God.  As  our  predecessors  however  unhap- 
pily thought  otherwise,  it  is  the  principal  object  of  this  collection 
to  remove  the  offence,  which  their  doctrinal  zeal  has  occasioned  to 
their  successors." 

The  ideal  thus  set  forth  of  a  Hymnody  doctrinally  color- 
less was  that  held  in  common  by  perhaps  all  the  early 
leaders;  and  prior  editors  of  Unitarian  hymn  books  had 
not  only  sought  to  contribute  new  hymns  according  with 
it,  but  had  felt  free  to  "accommodate"  to  it  hymns  already 
in  use.  But  the  acrid  vigor  of  Walker's  insistence  on  the 
pressing  duty  of  modifying  existing  hymns  was  occasioned 
by  the  persistence  of  the  people's  predilection  for  the  one 
version  of  the  Psalms  bearing  an  "evangelical  interpreta- 
tion" and  their  doubtless  illogical  attachment  to  the  evan- 
gelical hymns  of  Watts  and  Doddridge.  Walker  applied  his 
principle  (especially  to  Watts)  with  a  strong  though  un- 
skilled hand;  "the  alterations  bearing  no  small  proportion 
to  the  whole  work,  and  in  many  of  the  psalms  and  hymns 
the  retaining  the  name  of  the  original  author  must  be 
considered  as  a  mere  acknowledgment  of  the  source  from 
which  the  composition  was  derived."  '^^  In  this  course  he 
was  followed  by  subsequent  editors,  with  the  inevitable 
result  that  in  extracting  the  color  of  doctrine  from  the 
hymns,  much  of  their  vigor  and  warmth  also  passed  out. 

The  first  generation  of  Unitarians,  who  had  been  familiar 
with  the  original  text  of  these  hymns,  objected  to  the 
changes,  but  in  course  of  time,  as  the  modified  texts  passed 
from  book  to  book,  only  the  more  curious  were  aware  that 
Watts,  Doddridge,  Wesley,  Toplady,  Newton,  and  Cowper 

"Preface,  p.  vii. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  137 

had  expressed  themselves  quite  otherwise  than  in  the  lines 
bearing  their  names  in  the  Unitarian  hymn  booksJ^  But 
Robert  Wallace,  a  minister  at  Chesterfield,  became  dis- 
satisfied with  the  "altogether  unwarranted"  liberties  editors 
had  taken  with  the  originals,  and  with  the  method  itself  of 
obtaining  a  Unitarian  Hymnody  by  a  process  of  expurgating 
orthodox  hymns.  He  was  influenced  also'-  by  Mrs. 
Barbauld's  plea'^  for  more  warmth  and  a  freer  scope  for 
the  language  of  the  affections  than  was  then  thought  per- 
missible in  Unitarian  worship.  He  gave  much  time  to 
preparing  a  hymn  book  in  which  "no  wanton  or  unadvised 
deviations"  from  the  originals  were  admitted  and  for  which 
new  hymns  were  sought.  It  appeared  as  A  Selection  of 
Hymns  for  public  and  private  worship  (Chesterfield,  1822; 
2nd  ed.,  1826),  a  notable  rather  than  very  influential  step 
in  the  right  direction. 

In  the  debates  and  contests  between  Evangelicals  and 
Unitarians  little  attention  had  been  given  to  Unitarian 
hymn  books.  In  the  legal  proceedings  respecting  the  Lady 
Hewley  Fund,  among  numerous  Unitarian  publications 
introduced  into  the  pleadings  to  exhibit  their  tenets,  no 
reference  appears  to  have  been  made  to  the  hymns  used  in 
their  chapels.  But  in  1834  the  editor  of  The  Christian 
Observer,  the  great  Evangelical  organ,  happened  to  take  up 
a  hymn  book  that  for  two  and  a  half  years  had  been  in 

"Some  of  the  hymn  book  editors  were  no  exception.  Thus  Dr. 
Lant  Carpenter,  explaining  his  references  to  his  sources,  says:  "A 
large  proportion  of  the  older  hymns  were  in  the  first  instance  taken 
from  collections  in  common  use  among  Unitarians,  with  which  I  had 
long  been  familiar,  and  which  therefore  might  appear  to  me  less 
altered  from  the  originals  than  they  really  were."  The  Christian 
Observer,  Oct.,  1834,  p.  594. 

"See  his  preface  of  1822. 

''^Devotional  pieces,  compiled  from  the  Psalms  and  the  Book  of  Job; 
to  which  arc  prefixed  Thoughts  on  the  devotional  taste,  &c.  (London, 
1775),  PP-  14  ff-  Both  the  selection  and  essay  were  coldly  received 
by  the  Priestley  circle  of  Unitarians  to  whom  no  doubt  it  was  espe- 
cially addressed,  as  also  by  the  public.  Cf.  Grace  A.  Ellis,  Memoir  of 
A.  L.  Barbauld,  Boston,  1874,  vol.  i,  p.  74- 


138  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

his  hands  for  review,  and  "utterly  forgotten," — A  Collec- 
tion of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  Unitarian  Christians  in  public 
worship  and  in  the  private  culture  of  the  religious  affections 
(Bristol,  1831).  This  book,  edited  by  Dr.  Lant  Carpenter, 
differed  in  no  respect  from  numerous  predecessors  in  the 
extent  and  freedom  of  its  use  of  evangelical  hymns  "accom- 
modated" to  Unitarian  views.  But  to  the  editor  the  method 
was  plainly  a  novelty,  and  in  a  belated  review  he  subjected 
both  method  and  results  to  a  scathing  condemnation.'''^ 
For  ''torturing  the  sacred  strains  of  orthodox  lyrists  till 
they  uttered  sounds  utterly  discrepant  to  those  intended  by 
their  authors"  he  charged  the  editor  with  "heinous  crimes 
against  right  feeling,"  "indecent,  unfeeling,  and  pregnant 
with  enormous  evils,"  but  in  so  far  as  the  mutilations  were 
acknowledged  and  fairly  pointed  out,  not  with  dishonesty. 
He  found,  however,  numerous  hymns  of  evangelical 
writers,  whose  names  were  attached  to  them,  seriously 
altered  and  without  any  indication  of  such  changes  being 
given.  These  alterations  he  characterized  as  "secret  and 
disingenuous,"  misleading,  and  "in  truth  the  most  dis- 
gracefully dishonest." 

The  subsequent  debate  made  it  clear  that  in  the  omission 
of  indications  of  alteration  Dr.  Carpenter  was  guilty  of 
nothing  worse  than  that  ignorance  of  his  materials  and 
carelessness  in  their  handling  that  obtained  generally  among 
the  compilers  of  hymn  books.  But  the  larger  questions 
raised  in  this  debate  are  still  of  living  interest.  The  prac- 
tice of  signing  an  author's  name  to  what  he  did  not  write 
is  even  now  common  enough,  but  ought  to  find  no  defender. 
The  question  of  the  extent  to  which  an  editor  is  justified 
in  "accommodating"  the  sentiments  of  another's  hymn  to 
the  views  of  himself  or  his  constituency  is  larger  and  more 
difficult.  It  involves  matters  of  principle,  expediency  and 
good  taste;  and  every  editor  must  decide  them  for  himself. 
The  Christian  Observer  was  doubtless  unaware  that  honored 

''The  review  is  in  the  number  for  July,  1834;  for  the  subsequent 
debate  see  the  numbers  for  October  and  December  of  the  same  year. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  139 

editors  of  its  own  school  had  "accommodated"  the  Wesleys' 
hymns  to  Calvinism  by  expunging  such  phrases  as  favored 
"universal  redemption,"  "the  second  rest,"  and  the  like. 
To  bind  an  editor  of  any  school  by  a  rigid  rule  that  a  hymn 
must  in  all  cases  be  taken  verbatim  or  left  alone  would 
not  promote  the  best  interests  of  Hymnody.  On  the  other 
hand,  an  expurgated  Hymnody  such  as  was  developed  by 
early  Unitarianism  is  well  adapted  to  promote  just  such 
bad  feeling  as  The  Christian  Observer  manifested,  and  at 
best  fails  to  win  one's  regard. 

This  was  the  view  taken  of  the  current  Unitarian  Hym- 
nody by  the  accomplished  John  R.  Beard  of  Manchester, 
^^•hether  or  not  he  was  influenced  by  the  unpleasant  debate 
in  the  pages  of  The  Christian  Observer.  To  him  "it  seemed 
a  sort  of  reflection  on  either  the  talent  or  the  devotional 
feeling"  of  Unitarians  that  they  were  "necessitated  to  em- 
ploy in  their  psalmody  the  compositions  of  Trinitarian 
and  Calvinistic  writers"  "in  an  altered  if  not  mutilated 
shape."  The  necessary  adaptation  involved  frequently 
"matters  of  high  doctrinal  importance,"  tending  "to  create 
in  the  minds  of  Unitarian  compilers  a  certain  jealousy 
which,  in  pruning  away  the  exuberance  of  orthodoxy,  de- 
stroyed sometimes  the  richness  of  scriptural  truth,"  and 
involving  changes  "alien  from  the  original  spirit  of  the 
hymn"  and  "in  many  cases  repugnant  to  taste  and 
feeling."  ^^ 

"The  natural  resource,"  Mr.  Beard  said,  "is  to  prepare 
a  collection  of  hymns  composed  exclusively  by  Unita- 
rians." "'^  His  hymn  book,  so  prepared,  appeared  as  A 
Collection  of  Hymns  for  public  and  private  zvorship.  Com- 
piled by  John  R.  Beard.  London  and  Manchester,  i8j/. 
Of  living  writers  whom  he  enlisted  in  his  project  Dr. 
Bowring  leads  with  82  hymns;  William  Gaskell  follows 
with  79,  J.  C.  Wallace  with  64,  J.  R.  Wreford  with  55, 

'■'From  his  preface  of  1837. 

"In  his  proposals  printed  in  The  Christian  Teacher  and  Chronicle, 
1836. 


140  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

J.  Johns  with  35,  Jacob  Brettell  with  16,  Harriet  Martineau 
and  Jane  Roscoe  with  5  each,  Hugh  Hutton  with  3,  William 
S.  Roscoe  with  i.  Of  the  generation  that  had  passed,  Mrs. 
Barbauld,  then  regarded  as  its  foremost  Unitarian  hymn 
writer,  leads  with  14  hymns,  John  Taylor  follows  with  12, 
Edmund  Butcher  and  William  Roscoe  with  8  each,  Emily 
Taylor  with  7,  Sir  J.  E.  Smith  with  6,  W.  Lamport  with  3, 
Dr.  Estlin  and  Dr.  Drummond  with  2  each,  William 
Drennan  and  P.  Houghton  with  i  each.  H  to  these  names 
we  add  George  Dyer,  John  J.  Taylor  and  Lant  Carpenter 
of  Beard's  contemporaries  and  Helen  Maria  Williams 
(author  of  *' While  Thee  I  Seek,  protecting  Power")  of 
the  prior  generation,  the  representation  of  the  later  Uni- 
tarian hymn  writers  is  practically  complete.  There  are 
also  no  less  than  56  hymns  by  American  Unitarians.  The 
representation  of  the  earlier  writers  is  far  less  inclusive. 
Of  the  original  Arian  or  semi-Arian  group,  including  Henry 
Grove,  Thomas  Scott,  Roger  Flexman,  and  John  Breckell, 
there  are  no  hymns.  Of  the  writers  of  developing  Uni- 
tarianism,  there  are  6  by  Henry  Moore,  4  by  Thomas 
Jervis  and  i  by  William  Enfield,  but  Benjamin  Williams, 
Andrew  Kippis  and  George  Walker  are  not  represented. 

Beard's  Collection  is  thus  an  anthology  of  the  original 
hymn  writing  of  a  developed  Unitarianism,  and  affords  a 
basis  for  estimating  it  as  affecting  the  ideal  of  the  Hymn 
and  as  contributing  to  the  store  of  hymns.  Unitarian 
Hymnody  should  be  set  not  only  against  Dr.  Watts'  System 
of  Praise  which  made  its  background,  but  also  against  the 
Hymnody  of  Christian  Experience  developed,  as  will  duly 
appear,  by  the  great  XVHIth  century  Revival.  Its  criterion 
is  doctrinal.  It  is  a  protest  against  and  a  substitute  for 
hymns  "with  sectarian  peculiarities"  (by  which  we  may 
understand  what  is  called  evangelical  doctrine)  and  "the 
fervors  of  fanaticism"^''  (by  which  we  may  understand 
Methodism).  This  sense  of  protest  accounts  for  the  devo- 
tional  coldness   and   aloofness    from   Christianity   of   the 

''Beard's  preface. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  141 

earlier  hymn  writing,  and  this  sense  of  reconstruction 
accounts  for  a  gradual  return  to  the  area  of  Christian 
experience  and  that  "warmth  of  the  true  Christian  life" 
sought  for  and  expressed  in  Beard's  Collection.  Apart  from 
the  doctrinal  feature  the  Unitarian  Hymnody  showed  no 
special  development  of  the  Hymn  in  any  way.  The  Arian 
hymns  had  affiliated  strongly  with  Metrical  Psalmody ;  the 
Unitarian  hymns  to  a  large  extent  pertain  to  the  realm  of 
devotional  poetry  rather  than  of  Hymnody  proper;  and 
of  both  the  proportion  is  small  that  can  be  said  to  rise 
above  the  level  of  the  commonplace.'^  Among  Beard's 
contributors  time  has  set  the  seal  of  approval  on  the  work 
of  two.  Sir  John  Bo  wring  found  a  ground  where  all 
Christian  hearts  may  meet  in  such  hymns  as  "God  is  Love, 
His  mercy  brightens,"  and  "In  the  cross  of  Christ  I  glory"; 
as  did  also  John  R.  Wreford  in  his  "Lord,  I  believe;  Thy 
power  I  own,"  and  "When  my  love  to  Christ  grows  weak." 
Among  Unitarians  themselves,  Beard's  Collection  was  less 
used  as  a  source  book  for  later  compilers  in  England  than 
in  the  United  States. 

As  a  protest  against  hymn  tinkering  and  as  a  novel  effort 
to  reconstruct  Unitarian  Hymnody  out  of  materials  ex- 
clusively Unitarian  Beard's  Collection  is  of  permanent 
interest.  As  a  hymn  book  intended  for  congregational  use 
it  was  a  complete  failure.  It  involved  an  entire  separation 
of  Unitarian  Praise  from  the  main  stream  of  English 
Hymnody,  the  renunciation  of  all  the  great  hymns  of  the 
Church,  however  unexceptionable  from  the  Unitarian 
standpoint;  and  for  this  the  ministers  and  congregations 
were  by  no  means  ready.  "The  plan  strikes  us,"  said  The 
Christian  Examiner,  "as  most  extraordinary."^^    And  in  this 

"This  is  Henry  Ware  jr's  estimate  of  Beard's  Collection— 'We 
are  not  certain  that  there  exist  any  better  than  a  few  of  the  best  of 
these.  There  are  many  that  are  only  tolerable,  and  some  that  are 
intolerable;  many  incomplete,  many  prosaic  and  commonplace,  and 
some  unsuited  to  use  in  public  worship."  The  Christian  Examiner 
(Boston),  March,  1838,  p.  94- 

"November,  1836,  p.  271. 


142  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

judgment  most  people  are  likely  to  concur.  As  a  protest 
also  against  the  "accommodation"  of  orthodox  hymns, 
Beard's  efforts  were  to  prove  equally  in  vain. 

After  the  rise  of  this  new  Unitarian  Hymnody  there 
was  no  further  (old)  Presbyterian  Psalmody  or  Hymnody 
in  England,  beyond  that  of  a  faithful  remnant  in  the 
Northern  counties  and  some  scattered  congregations  of 
resident  Scotchmen,  until  the  formation  in  1836  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  England,  which  began  its  career  by 
harking  back  to  The  Psalms  of  David  in  meeter  of  1650. 

3.     His  Ascendency  over  the  Baptists  Leads  up  to 

A    HOMILETICAL    HyMNODY 

Among  the  older  General  Baptist  churches  the  strong 
prejudice  against  public  singing  lingered  through  much  of 
the  XVnith  century,  encasing  their  worship  in  a  hard  shell 
which  even  the  influence  of  Watts  found  it  hard  to  pene- 
trate. And  as  one  by  one  these  churches  yielded  to  the 
modern  spirit,  it  would  be  hard  to  measure  his  part  in  the 
many  inducements  to  the  change.  There  was  no  notable 
church  extension  in  the  denomination  until  the  Methodist 
Revival,  when  numerous  congregations  of  those  led  to 
adopt  Baptist  sentiments  were  organized  in  Yorkshire  and 
neighboring  counties.  These  new  churches  came  at  once 
within  the  influence  of  Methodist  hymn  singing.  With 
some  seceders  from  the  Old  Connexion  they  formed  in  1770 
the  New  Connexion,  under  whose  auspices  the  first  General 
Baptist  hymn  book  appeared  at  Halifax  in  1772  as  Hymns 
and  Spiritual  Songs,  mostly  collected  from  various  authors; 
with  a  fezv  that  have  not  been  published  before.  In  1785 
Samuel  Deacon,  a  village  clockmaker  and  pastor  of  Barton, 
published  his  original  hymns  as  A  new  composition  of 
Hymns  and  Poems  chiefly  on  Divine  subjects;  designed  for 
the  amusement  and  edification  of  Christians  of  all  denomi*- 
nations,  more  particidarly  those  of  the  General  Baptist  per- 
suasion (Leicester,  1785).    These  homely  hymns  had  much 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  143 

of  the  revival  spirit,  and  became  known  by  the  name  of 
Barton  Hymns,  which  was  given  them  in  the  second  edition 

(1797)- 

In  1 79 1  the  General  Baptist  Association  authorized  a 
new  hymn  book,  which  appeared  in  1793  as  Hymns  and 
Spiritual  Songs,  selected  from  various  authors  (London, 
D.  Taylor).  But  in  1800  John  Deacon,  who  had  helped  to 
compile  it,  issued  on  his  own  account  A  new  and  large  Col- 
lection of  Hymns  and  Psalms  (London,  H.^D.  Symonds) ; 
and  this,  after  winning  its  unauthorized  way  among  the 
churches,  was  revised  by  a  Committee  of  the  General  Bap- 
tist Association,  and  in  1830  formally  adopted  as  the  hymn 
book  of  the  Connexion,^'*'^  under  the  title  of  The  General 
Baptist  Hymn  Book. 

Among  Particular  Baptist  churches  some  were  already 
singing  hymns,  especially  on  sacramental  occasions,  w4ien 
Watts'  Hymns  first  appeared.  His  Hymns,  and  later  his 
Psalms,  doctrinally  acceptable,  fell  in  with  the  desire  to 
enlarge  the  use  of  hymns,  and  helped  much  also  to  create 
such  a  desire.  It  is  significant  that  after  the  appearance  of 
Stennett's  two  little  booklets  of  sacramental  hymns  no  Bap- 
tist hymn  book  was  published  until  1769.  There  is  little  diffi- 
culty in  filling  the  apparent  gap  of  half  a  century.  It  was 
the  time  when  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  were  gradually 
working  their  way  into  the  churches  and  into  the  hearts  of 
the  Particular  Baptists,  and  establishing  there  a  place  only 
second  to  that  they  held  among  his  own  people. 

But  one  effect  of  the  use  of  Watts'  hymns  was  to  en- 
courage the  habit  of  employing  the  last  hymn  in  the  service 
as  an  application  of  the  sermon.  In  the  course  of  time  it 
became  apparent  that  the  Hymns  were  not  in  sufficient 
variety  to  cover  all  the  sermon  themes.  Preachers  were 
led  to  search  other  books  for  hymns  pertinent  to  their  ser- 
mons, and  a  number  to  compose  hymns  of  their  own  on  the 
Watts  model,  to  be  lined  out  to  the  people  after  the  ser- 

^"Cf.  H.  S.  Burrage,  Baptist  Hymn  Writers  and  their  Hymns,  Port- 
land, Me.,  n.  d.,  p.  632. 


144  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

mon.^^  With  some  of  these  compositions  in  hand,  but 
especially  in  view  of  the  publication  in  1760  of  the  hymns  of 
Miss  Anne  Steele,  two  pastors,  John  Ash  of  Pershore  and 
Caleb  Evans  of  Bristol,  felt  that  the  time  had  come  for  a 
Baptist  hymn  book.  They  published  at  Bristol  in  1769 
A  Collection  of  Hymns  adapted  to  public  worship.  As  it 
was  designed  to  supersede  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns,  many 
of  his  best  hymns  were  included.  Of  the  new  Baptist 
writers,  there  were  62  by  Miss  Steele,  and  some  by  Bed- 
dome,  Daniel  Turner,  Joseph  Stennett,  and  James  Newton, 
It  was  well  received,  and  continued  in  use  for  more  than 
half  a  century,  reaching  a  tenth  edition  in  1827.  But  it  was 
far  indeed  from  superseding  Watts  in  Baptist  use.  So 
many  churches  remained  which  were  unwilling  to  give  up 
his  Psalms  and  Plymns  and  yet  desired  other  and  especially 
Baptist  hymns,  that  John  Rippon,  Gill's  successor  at  Carter 
Lane,  published  in  1787  A  Selection  of  Hymns  from  the 
best  authors,  intended  to  be  an  Appendix  to  Dr.  Watts's 
Psalms  and  Hymns  (London,  T.  Wilkins).  This  book  of 
588  hymns  was  conceived  in  the  interest  of  the  "Hymn  after 
Sermon,"  in  the  belief  that  "A  too  great  Variety  is  a  thing 
scarcely  to  be  conceived  of,"  and  full  use  was  made  of  the 
Hymnody  of  the  Wesleyan  and  Evangelical  revival.^- 
Rippon's  judgment  and  taste,  his  command  of  originals,  and 
his  editorial  discretion,  were  such  as  to  ensure  lasting  suc- 
cess, and  to  secure  to  himself  a  permanent  place  in  the 
history  of  hymn  singing.  His  Selection  reached  its  tenth 
edition  in  1800,  enlarged  by  sixty  hymns,  and  was  again 
enlarged  in  1827.  After  Rippon's  death,  it  appeared  in 
1844,  increased  by  an  addition  of  400  hymns,  as  The  Com- 
prehensive Rippon,  containing  1174  hymns.  When  we 
remember  that  these  were  an  appendix  to  "Watts  entire," 
we  become  aware  of  the  lengths  to  which  the  homiletical 

"C/.  preface  to  Rippon's  Selection,  1787.  Rippon  states  that  only 
then  was  the  practice  of  singing  without  lining  "gaining  ground"  in 
some  congregations  "in  London,  at  Bristol,  and  elsewhere." 

^'^Preface,  p.  3. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  145 

conception  and  use  of  hymns  naturally  leads.  Well  had 
Rippon  feared,  in  introducing  his  original  588  hymns,  "that 
after  sermon  there  will  be  many  Subjects  sought  for  in 
vain,  both  in  this  Appendix,  and  in  Dr.  Watts."  ^^' 

Rippon's  Selection  became,  in  connection  with  Watts,  a 
standard  of  Baptist  Hymnody,  which  it  did  so  much  to 
enlarge.  It  served  also  as  a  source  book  for  the  makers  of 
many  hymn  books  in  the  Church  outside,  in  a  period  when 
hymnal  making  was  largely  done  with  scissors;  and  by  this 
means  Rippon  has  permanently  impressed  himself  upon  the 
Churches  as  having  influenced  their  choice  of  hymns.  His 
book  in  itself  carries  forward  Particular  Baptist  Hymnody 
to  our  own  time,  being  used  in  Spurgeon's  Tabernacle  till 
1866  in  connection  with  Watts.^^  It  was  also  a  link  of 
connection  between  Baptist  Hymnody  in  England  and 
America,  and  was  reprinted  in  New  York  as  early  as  1 792. 

There  appeared,  however,  from  one  motive  or  another, 
a  considerable  number  of  other  Baptist  collections  during 
the  earlier  years  of  the  XlXth  century.  One  line  of  these 
represents  the  desire  of  hymn  writers  to  give  currency  to 
their  own  compositions.  Among  such,  not  of  sufficient 
importance  to  be  grouped  with  the  Baptist  "School  of 
Watts"  hereafter  to  be  noticed,  were  : — Jonathan  Franklin's 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs,  composed  for  the  use  of  the 
Baptist  Church  at  Croydcn,  Surrey  (1801 ;  3rd  ed.,  1823)  ; 
W.  Augustus  Clarke's  eccentric  Hymns  doctrinal  and  ex- 
perimental for  the  free-born  citizens  of  Zion  (1801) ;  W. 
W.  Home's  Sion's  Harmony  of  Praise  (1823),  with  98 
originals  and  the  declaration,  "I  am  happy  to  class  with 
those  whom  I  have  denominated  choristers" ;  and  John  H. 
Hinton's  (116)  Hymns  by  a  Minister  (1833).^^ 

Another  line  of  hymn  books  purposed  no  more  than  to 
supplement  Watts  or  Watts  and  Rippon  on  themes  over- 

*^Preface,  p.  4- 

'^Preface  to  Spurgeon's  Our  own  Hymn  Book. 

^''Sketches  and  specimen  hymns  of  these  writers  may  be  found  in 
Burrage,  op.  cit. 


146  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

looked  by  them.  Such  were  James  Upton's  A  Collection  of 
Hymns  designed  as  a  Supplement  to  Dr.  Watts  s  Psalms 
and  Hymns  (1814;  3rd  ed.,  1818) ;  George  Francis'  A 
Selection  of  Hymns  (1824) ;  and  the  much  more  successful 
A  New  Selection  of  Hymns  (1828),  compiled  by  a  com- 
mittee of  Particular  Baptist  ministers,  and  edited  by  W. 
Groser;  of  which  60,000  copies  were  sold  in  ten  years.^*^ 
It  was  enlarged  in  1838  as  A  Selection  of  Hymns  for  the 
use  of  Baptist  Congregations,  and  a  supplement  was  added 
as  late  as  1871.  More  independent  of  the  Watts  tradition 
were  John  Bailey's  Sions  Melody  (1813)  with  some  origi- 
nals; James  H.  Evans'  Psalms  and  Hymns,  selected  chiefly 
for  public  worship,  and  the  Scottish  A  Selection  of  Hymns 
adapted  for  divine  worship  of  Christopher  Anderson,  both 
of  1818;  and  John  Stenson's  The  Baptist's  Hymn  Book 
( 1838)  with  many  of  his  own  hymns. 

Still  a  third  line  of  hymn  books  came  from  the  high 
Calvinistic  element  among  Particular  Baptists,  and  repre- 
sented their  dissatisfaction  on  doctrinal  grounds  with  the 
continued  use  of  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  and  the  sup- 
plementary Selection  of  Rippon.  In  turning  from  Unita- 
rianism  to  the  rigid  wing  of  the  Particular  Baptists,  we  have 
crossed  from  the  extreme  left  to  the  extreme  right  of  the 
theology  of  dissent;  and  while  the  Unitarians  were  re- 
nouncing Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  as  "Trinitarian  and 
Calvinistic,"  the  high  Calvinist  Baptists  were  turning  from 
them  as  not  sufficiently  differentiated  from  Arminianism. 
A  new  Selection  of  Hymns  by  John  Stevens  of  Meard's 
Court  Chapel,  London,  appeared  in  1809,  and  as  rearranged 
by  J.  S.  Anderson  in  1871  is  still  in  use.  William  Gadsby, 
who  like  Stevens  was  a  writer  of  hymns,  published  A  Selec- 
tion of  Hymns  for  public  worship  in  181 4.  To  this  nucleus 
a  second  part  of  157  of  his  own  hymns,  a  supplement  com- 
piled by  him,  nearly  the  whole  of  Hart's  Hymns,  and  a 
further  supplement  by  J.  C.  Philpot,  were  successively 
annexed;  and  the  whole,  edited  by  Gadsby's  son  John,  is  still 

^Treface,  ed.  1838,  p.  i. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  147 

in  use  as  Gadsby's  Hymns.^''  Some  of  the  Hymns  in  Watts' 
and  Rippon's  books  give,  Gadsby  said  in  his  original  preface, 
"as  legal  a  sound  as  if  they  had  been  forged  at  a  certain 
foundry,"  the  allusion  being  of  course  to  Wesley's  meeting 
house  known  by  that  name.     Edward  Mote  published  in 

1836  Hymns  of  praise.  A  new  Selection  of  Gospel  Hymns, 
containing  all  the  excellencies  of  our  spiritual  poets,  and 
many  originals.  For  the  use  of  all  spiritual  zvorshippers. 
To  Mote  spirituality  and  Calvinism  were  inseparable,  and 
his  collection,  which  reached  a  third  edition  in  1853,  is  an 
anthology  of  Calvinistic  praise.  The  latest  of  the  group, 
and  probably  the  one  in  largest  present  use,  appeared  in 

1837  as  The  Saints'  Melody.  By  David  Denham.  Denham 
disparaged  neither  Watts  nor  Rippon,  but  rendered  them 
superfluous  by  the  very  extent  of  his  collection  gathered 
and  arranged  to  illustrate  the  Five  Points  of  Calvinism. 
By  a  curious  coincidence,  hardly  undesigned,  his  book  and 
its  supplement  (now  known  as  Denham' s  Selection)  and  the 
rival  selection  of  Gadsby  with  its  supplements,  attain  to  an 
identical  total  of  1138  hymns.  It  would  seem  that  all 
varying  tastes  among  the  high  Calvinist  element  thus  found 
a  provision  as  ample  as  it  has  proved  permanent. 

II.    In  Scotland 

I.     His  Influence:  the  "Translations  and 
Paraphrases"    (1745,   1781) 

In  Scotland  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  circulated  largely, 
and  their  influence  brought  about  a  renewal  of  the  long 
shelved  movement  for  what  was  called  "The  improvement 
of  the  Psalmody."  In  1741  an  overture  came  before  the 
General  Assembly  proposing  that  some  Scripture  passages 

*7ohn  Gadsby  also  published  A  Companion  to  Gadsby's  Selection  of 
Hymns  and  illustrative  Memoirs  of  Hymn-writers  and  compilers  (4th 
ed.,  1870).  "The  work  has  now  reached  its  4th  Edition.  Had  I 
written  only  smooth  things,  it  would  probably  ere  this  have  reached 
its  loth,"  p.  157. 


148  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

be  turned  into  metre  for  use  in  public  worship.  This  was 
the  beginning  of  the  movement  out  of  which  came  the 
famous  "Scottish  Paraphrases."  ^^ 

The  proposal  had  come  at  the  very  close  of  the  session, 
and  was  referred  to  the  Assembly's  Commission  without 
discussion.  That  probably  would  have  been  the  end,  had 
not  the  Presbytery  of  Dundee  interested  itself,  and  secured 
from  the  Assembly  of  1742  the  appointment  of  a  committee 
to  make  a  collection  of  paraphrases.  This  committee  ac- 
complishing nothing,  it  was  enlarged,  and  in  1745  presented 
a  collection  of  forty-five  paraphrases.  After  much  debate 
the  Assembly  agreed  so  far  as  to  order  these  printed  and 
sent  down  to  Presbyteries  for  their  "observations"  on  them 
and  on  the  whole  project.^^  They  appeared  in  July,  1745, 
as  Translations  and  Paraphrases  of  several  passages  of 
Sacred  Scripture.  Collected  and  prepared  by  a  Committee 
appointed  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scot- 
land. And  by  the  Act  of  last  Assembly,  transmitted  to 
Presbyteries  for  their  consideration.  Edinburgh,  printed 
bv  Robert  Fleming  and  Company,  Printers  to  the  Church  of 
Scotland,  MDCCXLV. 

This  pioneer  volume  of  Scottish  Presbyterian  Hymnody 
reveals  the  extent  to  which  Dr.  Watts'  influence  was 
behind  the  movement  toward  hymns.  Of  the  forty-five 
J  pieces,  no  less  than  nineteen  are  by  him,  five  are  by  his 

follower  Doddridge,  and  several  others  are  based  upon 
hymns  of  Watts.  In  the  Scottish  contributions  and  com- 
pilations which  make  up  the  remainder,  the  manner  of  Watts 
is  hardly  less  evident.  In  both  the  title  and  preface  of 
the  volume  care  is  taken  to  emphasize  the  purely  Scrip- 
tural character  of  the  proposed  additions  to  Psalmody,  and 
the  securing  of  this  end  furnishes  the  only  obvious  justifi- 
cation of  the  system  of  hymn  tinkering  which  the  compilers 

^'Extracts  from  the  minutes  of  General  Assembly  and  of  Presby- 
teries covering  the  movement  are  conveniently  gathered  in  Maclagan, 
The  Scottish  Paraphrases,  Edinburgh,   1889,  pp.   167  ff. 

^*Acts  of  General  Assembly.    Edinburgh,  1843,  p.  681. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  149 

carried  to  a  great  extreme.  The  paraphrases  so  printed 
had  as  yet  no  status,  and  by  refraining  from  any  report 
upon  them  the  Presbyteries  succeeded  in  blocking  their 
authorization.  A  determined  minority  kept  the  matter  ahvc 
for  ten  years.  It  being  alleged  in  1749  that  the  confusions 
incident  to  the  Jacobite  rising  had  caused  the  copies  of  the 
Paraphrases  in  the  hands  of  numerous  Presbyteries  to  be 
mislaid,  a  new  edition  was  printed  in  1750,  and  again  sent 
down.  Perhaps  to  satisfy  the  minority,  these  amended 
paraphrases  were  authorized  for  private  use,  and  they  ob- 
tained some  unauthorized  public  use.^''  But  their  approval 
still  awaited  the  action  of  Presbyteries.  In  1755  it  ap- 
peared that  thirty-two  Presbyteries  had  never  yet  acted  on 
the  Paraphrases.  Such  determined  opposition  seems  to  have 
disheartened  the  progressives,  and  while  the  delinquent 
Presbyteries  were  formally  ordered  to  report  to  the  next 
Assembly,  the  whole  project  was  allowed  once  more  to 
drop  out  of  sight  as  still  impracticable. 

The  agitation  of  the  proposal  to  enlarge  the  Psalmody 
acted  as  a  constant  stimulus  to  hymn  production,  and  nu- 
merous collections  of  original  hymns  were  published  within 
the  bounds  of  the  Church  of  Scotland.  That  of  John 
Forbes,  Some  Scriptural  Hymns,  selected  from  sundry  pas- 
sages of  Holy  Writ,  intended  for  the  service  of  the  Church 
in  secret  or  society,  as  may  be  thought  agreeable  (Aberdeen, 
1757),  plainly  presents  his  productions  as  candidates  for 
liturgical  use;  and  hence  they  are  kept  within  the  limits 
of  paraphrase.  John  Willison,  on  the  other  hand,  in  his 
One  hundred  Gospel  Hymns  (Edinburgh,  1747),  profess- 
edly refrains  from  paraphrasing  Scripture,  "seeing  this 
design  is  under  consideration  by  publick  authority,  and  com- 
mitted to  hands  more  capable."  He  offers  freely  composed 
gospel  hymns  as  "much  adapted  to  Sacramental  Occasions" ; 
presumably  for  meditative  use,  as  he  could  hardly  have  con- 
templated their  liturgical  employment  at  that  date.  Wil- 
liam Cruden,  in  his  Hymns  on  a  variety  of  Divine  subjects 

^"Preface  to  edition  of  1781. 


I50  THE  ENGLISH  HYMISF 

(Aberdeen,  1761),  takes  a  middle  course,  which  may  be 
described  as  a  more  or  less  free  paraphrasing  of  Scripture; 
hardly  presuming  to  suppose  he  can  contribute  to  the  en- 
largement of  church  Psalmody  he  so  earnestly  desires,  but 
hoping  that  the  use  of  his  hymns  in  families  "may  be  at- 
tended with  no  impropriety."  Cruden's  preface  is  interest- 
ing as  showing  the  state  of  feeling  which  underlay  the 
movement  for  the  authorization  of  paraphrases: 

"Several  attempts  have  been  made  of  late  years  to  improve  our 
Psalmody:  and  yet  when  we  consider  the  vast  extent  of  the  subject, 
its  inconceivable  importance  to  mankind,  and  how  delightful  a  field  the 
plan  of  redemption  spreads  to  view;  'tis  surprizing  that  more  has 
not  been  done  in  that  way;  especially  when  many  subjects,  dry  and 
uninteresting,  are  every  day  canvassed,  and  almost  exhausted  by  the 
unwearied  efforts  of  genius.  Also  when  so  loud  a  cry  has  been  raised 
of  late,  thro'  many  corners  of  our  national  church,  for  the  reformation 
of  our  music  in  the  praises  of  the  sanctuary;  it  might  have  been 
expected  that  frequent  attempts  would  have  been  made,  to  enlarge  the 
matter  of  our  Psalmody,  by  an  addition  of  New  Testament  Hymns 
suited  to  these  days  of  clearer  light,  and  superior  advantages  vouch- 
safed to  us  above  former  ages." 

It  may  be  presumed  that  such  views  and  feelings  were 
gradually  extending,  but  it  was  not  till  twenty  years  had 
elapsed  from  the  failure  of  1755  that  the  Paraphrases  were 
again  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  General  Assembly. 
In  1775  the  Presbytery  of  Glasgow  and  Ayr  sent  up  an 
overture  alleging  that  many  ministers  and  congregations 
desired  to  employ  them  in  worship,  and  praying  that  their 
use  be  authorized.  This  overture  resulted  in  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  committee  who  entered  systematically  upon  the 
compilation  of  an  enlarged  collection  of  paraphrases,  and 
after  some  disagreements  on  their  part  and  the  customary 
postponements  on  the  part  of  the  Assembly,  were  able  to 
present  their  completed  work  to  the  Assembly  of  1781,  and 
to  solicit  definite  action  upon  it.  The  Assembly  passed  an 
"Interim  act  anent  the  Psalmody,"  sending  down  the  Para- 
phrases to  the  Presbyteries  for  examination  and  report, 
"and  in  the  meantime  they  allow  this  collection  of  Sacred 
Poems  to  be  used  in  public  worship  in  congregations  where 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  151 

the  Minister  finds  it  for  edification."  ^^  The  committee  was 
authorized  to  correct  and  pubHsh  the  collection,  and  the 
exclusive  right  to  print  it  was  vested  in  James  Dickson, 
printer  to  the  Church.  This  act,  however  lacking  in  finality, 
is  the  authorization  on  which  the  use  of  the  Paraphrases  has 
ever  since  rested.  Excepting  to  extend  the  printer's  patent, 
the  Assembly  has  at  no  time  taken  further  action  concern- 
ing them.  It  is  probable  that  those  who  had  at  heart  the 
enlargement  of  the  Psalmody,  thought  it  prudent  to  rest 
satisfied  with  what  they  had  gained.  Most  of  the  Presby- 
teries also  were  content  to  take  no  action.  That  of  Kirk- 
caldy, on  the  other  hand,  condemned  the  collection  as  de- 
fective in  execution ;  and  expressed  their  unanimous  opinion 
that  it  ought  to  be  rejected.^ ^ 

The  new  collection  appeared  in  1781  as  Translations  and 
Paraphrases,  in  verse,  of  several  passages  of  Sacred  Scrip- 
ture. Collected  and  prepared  by  a  Committee  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  in  order  to  be  sung 
in  churches.  Edinburgh,  printed  and  sold  by  J.  Dickson, 
Printer  to  the  Church  of  Scotland,  MDCCLXXXI. 

It  included  the  forty-five  paraphrases  of  the  earlier 
edition,  often  much  revised,  and  twenty-two  that  were  new; 
among  the  later  several  of  the  best-known,  such  as  "Few 
are  thy  days,  and  full  of  woe,"  "Come,  let  us  to  the  Lord 
our  God,"  and  "Where  high  the  heavenly  temple  stands."  ^^ 
Apart  from  their  inherent  value,  the  interest  of  the  Para- 
phrases of  1 781  lies  in  their  success.  They  mark  no  de- 
velopment in  the  principles  of  Scottish  Psalmody,  but  they 
embody  the  means  by  which  the  earlier  authorization  of 
paraphrases  became  actually  carried  out  in  public  worship. 

'^Extract  from  "Act  of  the  Assembly,"  in  1781  ed.  of  Paraphrases. 

'"Maclagan,  op.  cit.,  p.  183. 

"^The  last  of  these  is  one  of  several  regarding  which  an  interminable 
controversy  as  to  their  authorship  has  been  waged  between  the  parti- 
sans of  Michael  Bruce,  a  young  poet,  and  of  the  Rev.  John  Logan, 
one  of  the  Assembly's  committee.  For  a  partial  bibliography  of  the 
very  voluminous  controversial  literature,  see  Julian's  Diet,  of  Hym- 
nology,  p.  189. 


152  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

In  one  respect,  however,  the  collection  of  1781  registers  an 
advance.  At  the  end  appears  a  little  group  of  "Hymns." 
The  preface  offers  no  explanation,  saying  merely,  "a  few 
Hymns  are  subjoined."  Of  these  hymns,  three  are  Addi- 
son's, first  appearing  in  the  Spectator,  one  is  Watts' 
("Bless'd  morning,  whose  young  dawning  rays"),  and  the 
last  is  probably  of  Scottish  origin  ("The  hour  of  my  de- 
parture's come").  Most  of  these  are  decidedly  "hymns  of 
human  composure,"  and  constitute  an  apparently  uncon- 
sidered intrusion  of  free  Hymnody  into  the  Scriptural  Para- 
phrases of  the  Scottish  Church. 

The  use  of  the  Paraphrases  being  not  of  obligation,  their 
introduction  into  the  worship  of  the  parish  churches  was 
by  no  means  universal,  and  was  not  always  accomplished 
without  disturbance.  Where  minister  and  people  were 
agreed  in  wishing  the  Paraphrases,  their  introduction  in- 
volved no  more  than  the  protest  or  perhaps  secession  of  one 
or  more  irreconcilables.  At  Leith,  in  1782,  where  the  Rev. 
John  Logan,  one  of  the  active  spirits  in  the  movement,  and 
the  alleged  author  of  a  number  of  the  Paraphrases,  gave 
notice  on  his  own  responsibility  that  the  "Additional  Psalm- 
ody was  to  be  introduced  into  the  public  worship,  Sabbath 
next,"  ^^  the  session  met  and  protested  against  the  precipi- 
tant manner  of  making  the  change,  but  seem  to  have  sub- 
mitted. There  were,  however,  many  among  the  ministers 
and  people  of  the  Scottish  Church,  who  never  received  the 
Paraphrases,  or  took  any  part  in  singing  them,  to  the  end 
of  their  lives.  Although  they  were  soon  customarily  printed 
along  with  the  Metrical  Psalms  and  bound  up  with  them 
at  the  end  of  the  Bibles,  from  numerous  pulpits  they  were 
never  announced,  and  from  numerous  private  copies  of  the 
Bible  containing  them  they  were  torn  out  or  pasted  down.^^ 
This  opposition  was  partly  that  of  the  advocates  of  the 
singing  of  psalms  alone,  but  by  no  means  altogether.  It 
was  a  time  of  bitter  feeling,  and,  in  the  minds  of  many 

**AIaclagan,  op.  cit.,  p.  40. 

*°C/.  J.  S.  Curwen,  Worship  Music,  ist  series,  p.  166. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  153 

Evangelicals,  the  movement  for  enlarging  the  Psalmody 
had  been  allowed  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  party  of 
"Moderates."  The  presence  in  the  Assembly's  committee 
of  Logan,  and  the  Blairs,  the  Wisharts,  Gumming,  Robert- 
son and  Alexander  Carlyle,  made  such  association  inevi- 
table in  the  case  of  the  Paraphrases  of  1781.  Dr.  Martin 
of  Monimail,  one  of  the  minority  of  the  committee,  claimed 
that  he  had  no  proper  share  in  the  compilation,  and  that  the 
results  were  not  what  he  was  led  to  expect. ^"^  He  may  have 
been  prejudiced  by  the  fact  that  all  but  one  of  his  own 
compositions,  and  all  those  "of  a  pious  lady  of  his  acquaint- 
ance" which  he  fathered,  were  rejected;  but  he  was  one  of 
many  who  looked  at  the  Paraphrases  as  unsound  in  some 
particulars  and  as  lacking  generally  in  evangelical  tone  and 
feeling. 

The  attitude  of  the  Secession  in  regard  to  Church  Song 
does  not  appear  to  have  differed  greatly  from  that  of  the 
Church  of  Scotland.  Soon  after  the  secession  of  1733,  the 
attitude  of  the  Burgher  portion  is  revealed  by  the  determina- 
tion of  the  Associate  Synod  in  1748  to  enlarge  its  Psalmody. 
Ralph  Erskine  had  published  his  Gospel  Sonnets  in  1726- 
I734>^^  ari<i  had  become  a  seceder  in  1737.  The  Synod 
recommended  him  to  put  the  songs  of  Scripture  into  metre 
for  its  use,  basing  its  action  upon  the  similar  recommenda- 
tion of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  of 
1647  to  Zachary  Boyd.^^  A  committee  was  afterwards 
appointed  to  examine  Mr.  Erskine's  work,  but  his  death  in 
1752  stayed  the  whole  project  of  enlarging  the  Psalmody. 
The  subject  did  not  come  up  again  till  1787,  and  nothing 
was  actually  done  till  the  Synod  in  181 2  authorized  the  use 
of  "the  Paraphrases  and  Hymns  of  the  Church  of  Scot- 

"See  letter  of  his  grandson  in  Free  Church  Magazine,  August,  1847. 

"In  1726  as  Gospel  Canticles;  in  1734  as  Gospel  Sonnets  or  Spiritual 
Songs.  It  contains  little  entitling  Erskine  to  rank  as  a  hymn  writer. 
The  early  Moravian  editors  adapted  some  material  from  it,  and  his 
"O  send  me  down  a  draught  of  love"  (taken  from  a  longer  piece) 
was  in  the  Scottish  Presbyterian  Hymnal  of   1876. 

"See  D.  Fraser,  Life  of  Erskine,  Edinburgh,  1834,  p.  508,  note. 


154  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

land."  ^^  The  anti-Burgher  portion  of  the  Secession  seems 
to  have  occupied  a  similar  position.  Their  Solemn  Warn- 
ing of  1758  does  not  deal  with  Psalmody,  but  their  original 
position  was  doubtless  that  of  the  manifesto  of  the  General 
Associate  Synod  of  1804.  It  places  the  Psalms  and  New 
Testament  songs  on  a  common  plane  of  privilege  as  the 
divinely  inspired  and  only  authorized  Church  Song.  Its 
only  protest  is  against  all  allegation  of  a  lack  of  evangelical 
spirit  in  the  Psalms,  and  against  substituting  for  them 
"hymns  of  human  composition  containing  erroneous  doc- 
trine." ^^^ 

While  the  principles  of  the  Secession  favored  New  Testa- 
ment songs,  it  is  probable  that  the  Paraphrases  of  the 
Church  of  Scotland,  which  happened  to  contain  the  only 
New  Testament  songs  practicable,  were  not  employed  in 
the  services  of  either  branch.  In  this  way  the  Seceders 
furnished  a  refuge  for  many  who  came  from  parishes  in 
which  the  Paraphrases  were  used;  but  it  was  only  by 
further  secessions  from  their  own  ranks  that  the  principle 
of  a  restricted  Psalmody  was  ultimately  maintained. 

2.     Early  Scottish   Hymn  Singing 

Another  branch  of  separated  Presbyterians  carried  for- 
ward the  process  of  enlarging  the  Psalmody  in  advance  of 
the  Church  of  Scotland  itself.  This  was  the  Presbytery  of 
Relief,  formed  in  1761,  and,  until  merged  in  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church  in  1847,  known  as  the  Relief  Church. 
Some  of  these  men  were  not  contented  to  be  confined  to  the 
Paraphrases  of  the  mother  Church,  principally  because  they 
lacked  clear  evangelical  expression.  ^^^  James  Steuart 
showed  the  way  to  a  new  Hymnody,  and  in  1 786  printed  at 
Glasgow  Sacred  Songs  and  Hymns  on  various  passages  of 

°°0n  this  whole  subject,  see  Maclagan,  op.  cit.,  pp.  17-19;  and  also 
Mc  Crie,  The  Public  Worship  of  Presbyterian  Scotland,  Edinburgh, 
1892,  pp.  196-301. 

^'^Narrative  and  Testimony  .  .  .  by  the  General  Associate  Synod, 
1804,  pp.  163,  169. 

"^C/.  Maclagan,  op.  cit.,  p.  28;  McCrie,  op  cit.,  p.  306, 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  155 

Scripture;  selected  for  the  Congregation  at  Anderstoun,  and 
introduced  it  into  the  worship  of  his  church.  It  offended 
those  of  the  congregation  opposed  to  "human  hymns,"  some 
of  whom  seceded,  but  the  book  was  retained.  Hutchison  of 
Paisley  adopted  Steuart's  book  with  the  addition  of  new 
hymns,  and  still  more  were  added  by  James  Dun  of  Glas- 
gow. The  ground  being  thus  prepared,  the  Synod  in  1793 
was  overtured  on  the  subject,  and,  after  hearing  from  the 
Presbyteries,  agreed  in  1794  to  enlarge  the  Psalmody  not 
only  by  paraphrases  of  Scripture,  but  by  hymns  agreeable 
to  its  tenor.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  select  them, 
which  included  Messrs.  Steuart,  Dun  and  Hutchison,  and 
they,  doubtless  as  had  been  arranged,  at  once  reported, 
recommending  the  book  compiled  by  Steuart  and  completed 
by  Dun.  The  book  was  approved  by  Synod,  and  published 
at  Glasgow  in  1794  with  a  new  title  as  Sacred  Songs  and 
Hymns  on  various  passages  of  Scripture,  approved  by  the 
Synod  of  Relief,  and  recommended  to  be  sung  in  the  Con- 
gregations under  tJieir  inspection.  The  book  contains  231 
hymns,  "collected  from  several  authors,"  the  hymns  of 
Watts  leading.  The  preface  is  frank  in  its  justification  of 
a  New  Testament  Hymnody,  but  there  is  perhaps  a  certain 
lack  of  candor  in  its  statement  that  the  hymns  following 
are,  when  not  paraphrases  of  passages  of  Scripture,  founded 
upon  individual  texts.  To  justify  this  statement,  each  hymn 
is  preceded  by  a  reference  to  its  Scriptural  source;  that  of 
Addison's  "When  all  Thy  mercies,  O  my  God,"  being 
Psalm  civ,  34, — "My  meditation  of  Him  shall  be  sweet: 
I  will  be  glad  in  the  Lord":  that  of  Cowper's  "O  for 
a  closer  walk  with  God"  being  Genesis  v,  24, — "Enoch 
walked  with  God."  ^^^  The  anticipated  opposition,  whether 
or  not  thus  hoodwinked,  proved  not  very  serious,  and 
the  new  hymn  book  was  soon  in  use  throughout  the  Relief 
Church.i'^3    According  to  the  historian  of  that  Church,  the 

'"Xf.  McCrie,  op.  cit.,  p.  307. 

"'It  was  revised  in  1833,  and  was  a  progenitor  of  the  Hymn  Book 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church,  1852. 


156  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

new  book  developed  a  new  animation  in  the  service  of 
praise,  and  was  followed  by  "a  corresponding  improvement 
in  church  music."' ^°^ 

The  Relief  Church  was  not  the  first  religious  body  in 
Scotland  to  make  use  of  free  hymns  and  to  introduce  a 
hymn  book  into  its  services.  The  Glassites.  or  Sandeman- 
ians,  while  adhering  to  psalm  singing  in  their  public  wor- 
ship, used  in  their  fellowship  meetings  the  Christian  Songs, 
whose  first  edition  appeared  in  1749  at  Edinburgh,  and 
which  we  shall  notice  more  fully  in  another  connection.  ^"^^ 
After  the  Scots  Old  Independents  were  founded  in  1768 
there  was  an  open  channel  to  and  fro  between  their  Hym- 
nody  and  that  of  the  Glassites.  Many  Glassite  hymns  were 
in  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  (Glasgow,  1781),  which 
reached  a  seventh  edition  in  1798,  and  in  A  Selection  of 
Hymns  adapted  to  public  worship  (Glasgow,  1819),  which 
with  changes  and  additions  is  still  used  by  this  disappearing 
sect.  The  hymn  book  of  these  Independents  had  been 
preceded  by  a  publication  of  Psalms  .  .  .  or  Hymns 
founded  on  some  important  passages  of  Holy  Scripture 
(Edinburgh,  1777).  These  were  the  work  of  Alexander" 
Pirie,  a  man  of  parts  who  found  a  refuge  among  the  Inde- 
pendents after  prosecution  for  heresy  in  both  branches  of 
the  Secession.  Eleven  of  these  hymns  passed  into  the 
Synod  of  Relief's  book  of  1794.^*^^ 

A  little  booklet,  A  Collection  of  Hymns  and  Spiritual 
Songs  (Glasgow,  1755)  and  the  later  A  Collection  of 
Hymns  for  Christian  worship  (Edinburgh,  1762)  and  A 
Collection  of  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs,  extracted  from 
various  authors,  and  published  for  the  use  of  Christians  of 
all  denominations    (Edinburgh,    1778),^*''^   all  suggest  the 

"*G.  Struthers,  History  of  the  Relief  Church,   1843,  p.  376. 

^''Under  "The  Hymnody  of  the   Evangelical   Revival." 

"^One  is  still  remembered :— "With  Mary's  love  without  her  fear," 
and  all  are  of  the  Watts  type. 

""These  early  Scottish  hymn  books  the  writer  has  not  come  upon, 
one)  of  the  Rev.  James  Mearns.    See  Julian,  Dictionary,  p.  1026. 
and  he  owes  his  knowledge  of  them  to  the  hand    (always  a  careful 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  157 

introduction  of  hymns  into  some  Scottish  congregations  of 
the  independent  sort.  But  CongregationaHsm  there  had 
no  hymn  book  till  the  appearance  at  Edinburgh  in  1800  of 
A  Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  the  Tabernacles  in 
Scotland,  which  continued  in  use  for  half  a  century.  It 
was  nevertheless  an  inadequate,  ill-arranged  and  injudi- 
ciously "tinkered"  collection.  And,  with  a  view  to  displace 
it  in  his  "Church  in  Albion  Street  Chapel,  Glasgow,"^^^ 
the  famous  Ralph  Wardlaw  laboriously  prepared  A  Selec- 
tion of  Hymns  for  public  zvorship  (Glasgow,  1803).  An 
improvement  on  the  "Tabernacle  Collection,"  and  bearing 
a  distinguished  name,  it  attained  much  popularity,  as  evi- 
denced by  thirteen  editions.  But  here  also  the  hymns  were 
badly  arranged  and  more  than  badly  "tinkered."  Ward- 
law's  Selection  is  still  referred  to  as  the  source  of  eleven 
hymns  by  himself  there  appearing,  of  which  "Lift  up  to 
God  the  voice  of  praise"  and  "Christ — of  all  my  hopes  the 
ground"  are  widely  used.^*^^  The  only  other  Congrega- 
tionalist  hymn  book  of  the  period  was  A  Collection  of 
Hymns  from  the  best  authors,  adapted  both  for  public  and 
family  worship.  Selected  and  arranged  by  Greville  Ewing 
and  George  Payne  (Glasgow,  1814).  This  publication  was 
perhaps  thought  to  be  expedient  after  the  unpleasantness 
that  had  arisen  between  the  respective  Glasgow  congrega- 
tions under  Wardlaw  and  Ewing, ^^^  and  it  attained  to 
eleven  editions,  but  except  in  greater  fulness  it  marked  little 
advance  over  Wardlaw's  Selection. 

Baptist  hymn  singing  also  had  an  early  beginning  in 
Scotland.  Sir  William  Sinclair,  Bart.,  composed  and  printed 
for  the  use  of  the  Baptist  church  he  formed  in  his  castle 
of  Keiss  in  Caithness,  and  of  which  he  was  pastor,  A  Col- 
lection of  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs.  By  Sir  William 
Sinclair,  Minister  of  the  Gospel  of  God,  and  servant  of 

"'See  W.  L.  Alexander,  Memoirs  of  Ralph  Wardlaw,  Edinburgh, 
1856,  pp.  69-71. 

"'All  of  the  hymns  are  in  the  Memoirs,  appendix  C. 
^^"Memoirs,  pp.  114  f. 


158  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

Jesus  Christ  (1751).'^^  In  the  same  year  as  the  Rehef 
collection  there  appeared  A  Collection  of  Christian  Songs 
and  Hymns  in  three  Books  (Glasgow,  1786)  which  by- 
change  and  supplementing  became  eventually  Psalms, 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  in  three  Books,  selected  for 
use  in  the  Scotch  Baptist  Churches  (new  impression,  en- 
larged, Glasgow,  1841).  Its  very  title  suggests  the  con- 
tinuing influence  of  Dr.  Watts,  but  the  hymns  were  selected 
from  a  variety  of  sources,  including  the  Glassite  Christian 
Songs,  and  were  subjected  to  free  alteration  in  the  interests 
of  orthodoxy.  The  ninth  edition  (1827)  was  made  notable 
by  prefixing  to  each  hymn  a  descriptive  epithet,  such  as 
"cheerful,"  "grave,"  "plaintive,"  or  even  "cheerful  &  plain- 
tive." This  was  with  a  view  to  the  selection  of  a  suitable 
tune.  There  were  also  some  foot-notes  showing  how  "this 
hymn  may  be  altered  to  suit  a  single  person."  This  col- 
lection was  the  standard  of  Praise  in  the  limited  number  of 
Scottish  Baptist  churches  for  two  generations. 

And  no  doubt  the  hymns  of  John  Barclay  were  sung 
in  the  assemblies  of  the  Bereans,  who  followed  him  out 
of  the  Church  of  Scotland.  Barclay  thought  the  singing  of 
secular  songs  a  great  sin,  and  would  confine  the  singing  of 
spiritual  songs  to  true  believers.  Them  he  would  have  to 
sing  at  all  times,  and,  inconsistently  denying  that  there  was 
any  distinction  between  sacred  and  secular  music,  composed 
for  them  hymns  and  paraphrases  in  a  great  variety  of 
metres  adapted  to  the  airs  of  Scottish  songs.^^^  The 
earliest  of  these  appeared  as  Rejoice  evermore:  or  Christ 
all  in  all.  An  original  publication  consisting  of  spiritual 
songs,  collected  from  the  Holy  Scriptures;  .  .  .  Glasgow: 
printed  by  W.  Belt,  for  the  Author.  M.  DCC.  LXXVH. 
There  followed  A  Select  Collection  of  new  original  spiritual 
songs,  paraphrases,  and  translations ;  together  zvith  the 
most  useful  and  agreeable  of  these  formerly  published 
(Edinburgh,    1776);  and    (beside  his  metrical  version  of 

"'It  was  reprinted  in  1870.     See  Julian's  Dictionary,  p.   1027. 
"^Barclay's  views  are  set  forth  in  the  preface  to  Rejoice  Evermore. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  159 

the  Psalms)  one  other  collection,  entitled  The  Experience 
and  Example  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  illustrated  and  im- 
proved for  the  consolation  of  the  Church,  making  a  copious 
variety  of  subjects  for  the  purpose  of  Divine  praise  ( Edin- 
burgh, 1783).  The  whole  number  of  hymns  and  para- 
phrases thus  appearing  is  very  large,  and  must  have 
responded  t-o  some  welcome  from  the  congregations  Barclay 
founded.  Beyond  their  bounds,  these  striking  hymns  did 
not  go,  and  they  are  unknown  to  the  hymn  books. ^^^ 
Barclay  must  be  relegated  to  the  ranks  of  unsuccessful 
paraphrasers  in  Scotland,  stirred  by  Watts'  example,  but  not 
inspired  with  like  gifts. 

But,  so  far  as  Presbyterian  Scotland  is  concerned,  the 
Relief  Church  was  the  first  to  carry  forward  the  enlarge- 
ment of  Psalmody  to  the  full  freedom  of  an  evangelical 
Hymnody,  officially  embodied  in  a  church  hymn  book,  and 
used  by  authority  in  public  worship. 

In  the  Church  of  Scotland  no  further  action  followed  the 
ad  interim  allowance  of  the  Translations  and  Paraphrases 
in  1 781.  The  close  of  the  XVIIIth  century  was  a  period  of 
indifference  and  of  that  slovenly  performance  of  public 
worship  pictured  in  the  anonymous  A  Letter  from  a  Black- 
smith to  the  Ministers  and  Elders  of  the  Church  of  Scot- 
land. The  enlargement  of  the  Psalmody  came  before  the 
Assembly  again  early  in  the  XlXth  century,  and  specimens 
of  "Additional  Psalmody"  were  submitted  in  181 1,  1814 
and  1820.  The  latter  were  printed  as  Additional  Psalmody; 
submitted  to  the  General  Assembly,  1820;  and  printed  by 
their  order,  for  the  inspection  of  Presbyteries  (Edinburgh; 
Peter  Hill  &  Company,  1821).  Its  thirty-two  Psalm  ver- 
sions aim  at  introducing  metrical  variety :  its  seventeen  para- 
phrases of  other  Scriptures  include  "Father,  whate'er  of 
worldly  bliss"  (I  Tim.  vi,  6-8),  and  "Lo!  he  comes  with 
clouds  descending"  (Rev.  i,  7).  These  efforts  were  quite 
futile  and  deservedly  so.     And  nothing  was  accomplished 

"*T\vo  of  Barclay's  hymns  may  be  found  in  Odenheimer  and  Bird, 
Songs  of  the  Spirit.  N.  Y..  1871. 


i6o  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

until  after  the  middle  of  the  XlXth  century,  when  the 
Church  came  under  the  general  influences  that  play  upon 
and  mould  modern  Church  Song  in  all  denominations,  not- 
ably the  powerful  influences  emanating  from  Oxford. 
Meanwhile  the  Church  was  left  to  its  historic  Psalter  of 
1650,  and  the  paraphrases  and  five  appended  hymns  of 
1 78 1.  The  Paraphrases  were  not  only  the  first,  but  remain 
the  only  characteristic  Hymnody  of  the  Church  of  Scot- 
land. They  were  of  the  school  of  Watts,  but  the  new  Scot- 
tish writers  and  a  deft  editorial  hand  gave  them  a  marked 
individuality.  The  latest  historian  of  Scottish  Literature 
has  not  hesitated  to  say  that  they  "form  incomparably  the 
best  collection  of  sacred  lyrics,  for  its  size,  which  has  ever 
been  made  in  the  English  language."  ^^*  There  are  few  who 
would  deny  to  them  a  dignified  restraint,  a  grave  devotion 
and  a  somewhat  haunting  sonorousness  of  rhythm.  But 
they  owed  their  origin  to  the  desire  for  a  distinctively 
evangelical  Hymnody;  and  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand 
that  they  should  be  regarded  by  many  as  somewhat  lacking 
in  contents  and  somewhat  cold  in  tone. 

'"J.  H.  Millar,  Literary  History  of  Scotland,  New  York,  1903,  p.  379. 


CHAPTER  IV 

DR.  WATTS'  "RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY" 

(Continued) 

IV 
HIS  SUCCESS  :  THE  ERA  OF  WATTS  IN  AMERICA 

I.       The  CONGREGATIONALISTS   (1735-1834) 

I.     The  Great  Awakening  Turns  the  Churches  to 
HIS  Evangelical  "System  of  Praise'" 

When  Watts'  Hymns  of  1707  and  his  The  Psalms  of 
David  imitated  of  17 19  appeared,  the  Puritan  sense  of  the 
duty  of  singing  psalms  prevailed  generally  in  New  England, 
although  "cases  of  conscience"  still  kept  alive  the  memory 
of  the  "controversie  of  Singing."  ^  But  the  total  neglect  oP 
music  had  compelled  the  suspension  of  all  singing  in  some 
congregations,  and  in  others  had  brought  about  conditions 
in  Church  Praise  which  the  Rev.  Mr.  Symmes  described  as 
"indecent."^  In  the  lack  of  music  books  and  the  inability 
to  sing  by  note,  a  very  few  tunes  were  sung  from  memory, 
"tortured  and  twisted  as  every  unskillful  throat  saw  fit," 
producing  a  medley  of  discordant  noises;  something,  as 
Mr.  Walter  reports,^  like  five  hundred  different  tunes 
roared    out    at    the    same    time,"    with    the    singers    often 

^Cases  of  conscience  about  singing  of  Psalms,  Boston,  1723.  It  is 
reprinted  in  S.  H.  Emory,  The  Ministry  of  Taunton,  2  vols.,  Boston, 
1853,  vol.  i,  pp.  269  ff. 

^The  Reasonableness  of  Regular  Singing,  Boston,  1720. 

^The  Grounds  and  Rules  of  Musick  explained,  by  Thomas  Walter, 
A.M.,  Boston,  1721. 

161 


i62  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

one  or  two  words  apart,  and  in  a  manner  so  drawling 
that  he  himself  has  "twice  in  one  note  paused  to  take 
breath." 

Inconceivable  as  it  seems,  this  disorder  had  acquired  the 

force  of  a  tradition,  and  the  attempt  to  better  it  involved 

the  churches  in  years  of  bitter  controversy  between  the 

advocates  of   "the  usual   way"   and  those  determined  to 

^introduce  "regular  singing." 

Through  these  confusions  the  voice  of  Watts  did  not 
reach  the  people  at  all.  He  none  the  less  had  his  eye  on 
New  England.  Before  The  Psalms  of  David  imitated  was 
printed,  some  were  submitted  in  Ms.  to  Cotton  Mather  for 
his  examination  and  approval:*  the  107th  Psalm  as  printed 
was  entitled  "A  Psalm  for  New  England":  he  sent  over 
copies  of  all  his  books,  and  was,  through  correspondence 
with  Colman  and  others,  kept  informed  of  conditions. 
Meantime  he  was  content  to  bide  his  time,  and  discouraged 
his  friends  from  premature  efforts  to  introduce  his  System 
of  Praise.' 

The  first  American  reprint  of  The  Psalms  imitated  came 
V  from  the  Philadelphia  press  of  Benjamin  Franklin  in  1729. 

^'  It  represents  his  admiration   for  Watts  rather  than  any 

actual  demand,  since  Franklin  two  years  afterwards  com- 
plained of  its  remaining  unsold  upon  his  shelves.^  Franklin 
published  another  reprint  in  1741;  and  in  the  same  year 
appeared  the  first  Boston  edition  from  the  press  of  Rogers 
and  Fowle. 

The  first  American  reprint  of  the  Hymns  appeared  in 
^  Boston,    1739   (J.  Draper  for  D.   Henchman)  :'   the  first 

"See  letter  in  George  Hood,  A  History  of  Music  in  New  England, 
Boston,  1846,  p.  155. 

''See  his  correspondence  in  Proceedings  of  the  Massachusetts  His- 
torical Society,  2nd  series,  vol.  ix,  especially  pp.  397,  401,  408. 

"In  his  "An  Apology  for  Printers"  (June  10,  1731):  reprinted  in 
A.  H.  Smyth's  ed.  of  Franklin's  Writings,  N.  Y.,  1905,  &c.,  vol.  ii, 
P-  173-  Cf.  Paul  L.  Ford,  The  many-sided  Franklin,  N.  Y.,  1899,  p. 
195,  where  is  a  facsimile  of  the  title  page  of  1729. 

'Not  in  Evans'  American  Bibliography. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  163 

Philadelphia  edition  in  1742  (Franklin)  :  the  first  New 
York  edition  (Hugh  Gaine)  in  1752.^ 

Throughout  New  England  it  was  only  as  one  and  an- 
other parish  first  reestablished  the  old  Psalmody  on  a 
musical  basis,  that  any  need  was  felt  for  more  singable 
materials  than  The  Bay  Psalm  Book  furnished.  Even  then 
there  was  no  general  turning  toward  Watts.  It  was  rather 
in  congregations  deeply  moved  by  the  revival  influences  of 
"The  Great  Awakening"  that  the  desire  arose  for  song 
more  in  consonance  with  the  revival  preaching  and  more 
expressive  of  the  evangelical  fervor  which  the  preaching 
aroused.  The  coming  of  Whitefield  and  his  large  share 
in  the  Great  Awakening  might  be  presupposed  to  favor 
the  introduction  of  the  hymns  of  the  Wesleyan  Revival, 
with  which  he  had  some  association  in  England.  But  he 
was  no  singing  evangelist,  and  never  a  propagandist  of  the 
Methodist  Hymnody :  he  preferred  a  sober  strain  of  song, 
and  greatly  admired  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns. 

At  Northampton  itself  Jonathan  Edwards,  returning 
from  a  journey,  found  that  the  congregation  had  begun  to 
sing  Watts'  Hymns  in  his  absence;  "and  sang  nothing  else, 
and  neglected  the  Psalms  wholly."  He  "disliked  not  their 
making  some  use  of  the  Hymns;  but  did  not  like  their  set- 
ting aside  the  Psalms,"  and  compromised  by  arranging  that 
when  they  sang  "three  times  upon  the  Sabbath,"  they 
should  sing  "an  Hymn,  or  part  of  a  Hymn  of  Dr.  Watts', 
the  last  time,  ziz:  at  the  conclusion  of  afternoon  exercise."® 

This  was  in   1742,  and  shows  how  with  the  spread  of 

*The  early  American  reprints  of  Watts  may  be  grouped  as  follows : 

Psalms  alone:  Philadelphia,  1729,  1741,  1753,  1757,  1760,  1766,  1773. 
Boston,  1741,  1743,  1761,  1763,  1766,  1767,  1768,  1770,  1771,  1772  (2), 
'i^773  (2).  New  York,  1754,  1756,  1760,  1761,  1772.  Woodbridge,  1760. 
Portsmouth,  1762.     Norwich,  1773,  1774. 

Hymns  alone:  Boston,  1739,  1743,  1769,  1771,  1772  (2),  1775.  Phila- 
delphia, 1742,  1767,  1771,  1772.    New  York,  1752,  1771.    Norwich,  1775. 

Psalms  and  Hymns  together  (earlier  issues  were  sometimes  bound 
together)  :  New  York,  1761.    Boston,  1767,  1773.    Philadelphia,  1778. 

'Letter  of  Edwards  in  Proceedings  of  Mass.  Hist.  Soc,  2nd  series, 
vol.  X,  p.  429, 


i64  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

the  revival  the  people  began  to  sing  from  Watts  with  a 
certain  spontaneity  in  which  sincerity  counted  for  more 
than  precedent.  The  singing  was  not  confined  to  the  meet- 
ings. John  White  reports^"  that  at  Gloucester  in  1744  the 
singing  of  Watts'  Hymns  had  taken  the  place  of  the  usual 
diversions  of  the  people  when  met  together.  A  new  phe- 
nomenon was  the  "singing  through  the  streets,  and  in 
Ferry-Boats"  by  companies  of  people  coming  or  going  be- 
tween the  meetings.  To  this  Chauncy  objected  as  "osten- 
tatious."^^ Gilbert  Tennent,  in  a  letter  in  The  Pennsylvania 
Gazette,  refused  to  defend  it:^^  Jonathan  Edwards  on  the 
other  hand  failed  to  find  any  valid  objection  against  it.^^ 
Edwards  thought  "abounding  in  singing,"  both  in  and  out 
of  meeting,  a  natural  expression  of  the  feelings  awakened.^* 
The  disorderly  singing  in  meeting,  and  the  careless  singing 
of  sacred  words  at  home,^^  he  liked  no  better  than 
Chauncy. ^^  To  the  objection  taken  by  many  to  the  "mak- 
ing use  of  Hymns  of  humane  Composure,"  Edwards  re- 
sponded in  terms  as  decided  as  those  of  Watts  himself.^^ 

In  parishes  which  kept  to  the  old  Psalmody  through  the 
Revival  period,  the  introduction  of  either  the  Imitations  or 
Hymns  of  Watts  involved  difficulties.  Apart  from  the 
prejudice  of  many  against  hymns^®  and  their  affection  for 
The  Bay  Psalm  Book,  the  free  character  of  Watts'  Imita- 
tions and  his  omission  of  several  Psalms^^  told  against  it. 
There   was  also  a  preference  of  many  others,    especially 

^"The  Christian  History,  Boston,  vol.  i,  1743,  p.  41. 

^^Seasonable  Thoughts  on  the  state  of  Religion  in  New  England, 
Boston,  1743,  p.  126. 

'^Reprinted  in  his  The  Examiner,  examined,  or  Gilbert  Tennent 
harmonious,  Phila.,  1743,  pp.  64-66. 

^^Some  Thoughts  concerning  the  present  Revival  of  Religion  in 
New-England,  Boston,  1742,  pp.  3^7-323. 

''Some  Thoughts,  p.  182. 

"Ibid.,  p.  316. 

^'Seasonable  Thoughts,  p.  239. 

"Some  Thoughts,-  p.  184. 

^^Cf.  Proc.  of  Mass.  Hist.  Soc,  2nd  series,  vol.  ix,  pp.  401,  408. 

"Ibid.,  p.  369. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  165 

the  "liberar'-minded,  for  the  smooth  renderings  of  Tate  and 
Brady.2« 

The  parish  of  Spencer,  Mass.,  affords  an  illustration  of 
the  actual  situation.  After  making  trial  for  some  time  of 
Tate  and  Brady,  the  church  met  in  June,  1761,  and  decided 
to  restore  The  Bay  Psalm  Book  for  four  Sabbaths,  then  to 
use  Watts'  Imitations  till  September,  and  finally  meet  for 
decision.  At  the  meeting  the  vote  stood,  for  The  Bay  Psalm 
Book,  33;  for  Watts,  14;  for  Tate  and  Brady,  6.  It  was 
agreed  to  refer  the  matter  to  three  ministers,  who  recom- 
mended a  trial  of  Tate  and  Brady  for  six  months.  After 
eight  years  adherence  to  The  Bay  Psalm  Book,  it  was  voted 
in  May,  1769,  to  make  the  trial  of  Tate  and  Brady  as 
recommended.  There  was  a  dissatisfied  minority,  and  it 
was  agreed  to  use  The  Bay  Psalm  Book  and  Watts  jointly 
"till  the  church  and  congregation  shall  come  to  a  better  un- 
derstanding as  to  what  version  may  be  sung."  This  arrange- 
ment continued  until  October,  1769,  when  it  was  agreed 
to  adopt  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns,  by  a  vote  of  26  in 
his  favor,  and  "about  6  votes  for  the  old  version. "^^  Even 
so  Spencer  was  years  ahead  of  very  many  New  England 
parishes. 

A  number  of  churches  followed  the  lead  of  the  Brattle 
Street  Church,  to  which  we  shall  more  particularly  refer,  in 
adopting  Tate  and  Brady,  supplemented  by  a  selection  of 
hymns  taken  mostly  from  Watts:  W^orcester  in  1761,^^ 
Newton  in  1770,"^  Charlestown  in  1772,^"*  Westminster  in 
lyyT^p  The  Old  South  of  Boston  balked  at  the  freedom  of 
Watts'  Imitations,  and  requested  Thomas  Prince  to  make  a 
revision  of  The  Bay  Psalm  Book,  to  which,  as  published  and 
introduced  in  1758,  was  added  an  appendix  of  fifty  hymns, 

"^Ibid.,  p.  369. 

"Jas.  Draper,  History  of  Spencer,  Massachusetts,  Worcester,  2nd 
ed.,  n.  d.,  pp.  no,  iii. 

"W.  Lincoln,  Hist,   of   Worcester,   1837,   P-   I79- 
"F.  Jackson,  Hist,  of  Newton,  1854,  P-  136. 
''^Memorial  Hist,  of  Boston,  vol.  ii,  p.  319. 
"W.  S.  Heywood,  Hist,  of  Westminster,  1893,  p.  282. 


i66  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

all  but  eight  of  which  are  from  Watts. ^"^  On  the  other  hand 
the  Imitations,  without  the  Hymns,  were  adopted  by  the 
South  Church  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  as  early  as  1763;-^ 
and  in  1769  Byfield  voted  to  "make  trial"  of  both.^^ 

The  parishes  were  thus  feeling  their  way  and  of  many 
minds.  The  use  of  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  did  not  be- 
come general  throughout  New  England  Congregationalism 
until  after  the  Revolution.  They  were  introduced  at  the 
Old  South  in  Boston  in  1 786 :  in  1 790  at  Worcester^*^  and 
Newton:^*'  in  1791  at  Shrewsbury.^ ^  To  make  the  Imita- 
tions palatable  at  that  epoch  to  the  newly  won  liberties  of 
America,  some  changes  were  necessary  in  those  passages  in 
which  Watts  had  made  David  appear  as  a  patriotic  English- 
man. Outside  of  Connecticut  these  changes  were  made 
without  common  action  of  the  churches,  under  the  auspices 
of  private  printers. 

Connecticut,  which  had  its  distinctive  church  government, 
took  also  a  distinctive  attitude  toward  Watts.  In  the  first 
place  its  adoption  of  his  System  of  Praise  included  only 
the  Imitations.  In  the  second  place,  the  Connecticut  Asso- 
ciation superintended  two  revisions  of  their  text,  with  a 
view  of  "accommodating  it  to  America"  and  also  of  filling 
out  the  omitted  Psalms.    The  earlier  of  these^^  appeared  at 

^The  Psalms,  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  of  the  Old  and  Nezv 
Testament,  .  .  .  being  the  New  England  Psalm  Book  revised  and  im- 
proved .  .  .  with  an  addition  of  fifty  other  Hymns  .  .  .  Boston:  N.E., 
1758^  2nd  ed.,  1773. 

"C.  W.  Brewster,  Rambles  about  Portsmouth,  2nd  series,  1869,  p. 
338. 

"Joshua  Coffin,  Sketch  of  Hist,  of  Newbury,  &c.,  1845,  p.  235. 

"Lincoln,  p.  179. 

'"Jackson,  p.  141. 

*'A.  H.  Ward,  History  of  Shrewsbury,  1847,  P-  i79- 

*^The  history  of  these  various  adaptations  of  Watts'  Psalms  to 
American  conditions  is  an  interesting  and  distinctive  episode  in  the 
progress  of  American  Church  Song.  But  in  spirit  and  intent  they 
were  a  prolongation  of  the  older  Psalmody,  to  whose  history  a  fuller 
account  of  them  may  be  relegated.  The  writer  has  attempted  such  an 
account  in  "The  American  Revisions  of  Watts's  Psalms"  in  The  Jour- 
nal of  The  Presbyterian  Historical  Society,  for  June  and  Sept.,  1903. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  167 

Hartford  in  1785  as  Doctor  Watts's  Imitation  of  the  Psalms 
of  David,  corrected  and  enlarged  by  Joel  Barlow.  To  which 
is  added  a  Collection  of  Hymns;  the  whole  applied  to  the 
state  of  the  Christian  Church  in  general.  Hartford:  printed 
by  Barlozv  and  Babcock.  M,  DCC,  LXXXV.  The  later 
was  made  with  the  concurrence  of  the  Presbyterian  General 
Assembly,  and  appeared  at  Hartford  in  180 1  as  The  Psalms 
of  David  .  .  .  by  I.  Watts,  D.D.  A  new  edition,  in  which 
the  Psalms,  omitted  by  Dr.  Watts,  are  versified,  local  pas- 
sages are  altered,  and  a  number  of  Psalms  are  versified 
anew,  in  proper  metres.  By  Timothy  Dwight,  D.D.,  Presi- 
dent of  Yale  College.  At  the  request  of  The  General  Asso- 
ciation of  Connecticut.  To  the  Psalms  is  added  a  Selection 
of  Hymns:  Hartford:  printed  by  Hudson  and  Goodwin. 
1801.^^  In  the  third  place,  the  Connecticut  Association, 
while  proposing  to  retain  The  Psalms  imitated  as  the  main 
feature  of  Church  Praise,  provided  at  each  revision  its 
own  collection  of  hymns  (in  the  stead  of  Watts'  Hymns) 
as  an  appendix  to  the  Psalms.  The  hymns  appended  to 
Barlow's  revision  numbered  70,  selected  from  Watts,  with 
a  few  originals  added.  Like  the  revision  itself,  they  were 
set  aside  when  Barlow's  name  became  discredited  in  Con- 
necticut. Dwight,  between  his  own  preference  for  a  large 
collection  and  that  of  a  number  of  his  advisers  for  a  small 
one,^^  compromised  on  an  appendix  of  263  hymns.  Of 
these  168  were  from  Watts,  95  by  other  writers,  mostly  of 
Watts'  school.  "Dwight's  Watts"  was  received  with  great 
favour  and  used  in  Connecticut  churches,  perhaps  without 
an  exception;  and  in  some  was  retained  for  over  thirty 
years.^^ 

Dwight's  book  was  not  interfered  with  by  TJie  Hartford 
Selection  of  Hymns,  1799,  edited  by  Nathan  Strong,  Abel 

"In  this  appeared  the  familiar  "I  love  Thy  Kingdom,  Lord,"  as  a 
rendering  of  the  137th  Psalm. 

"See  his  preface  of  1800. 

"Cf.  O.  E.  Daggett,  "The  Psalms  in  Worship,"  The  New  Eng- 
lander,  July,  1846,  p.  328. 


i68  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Flint,  and  Joseph  Steward.  This  reached  an  eighth  edition 
in  1 82 1,  but  was  especially  designed  for  use  in  connection 
with  revival  services.  Some  pastors  were,  however,  finding 
Dwight's  selection  of  hymns  too  limited.  He  had  spoken  in 
his  preface  of  the  "so  great  reverence"  for  Watts  in  this 
country  at  that  time.  Of  this,  Samuel  Worcester  of  Salem, 
warmly  interested  in  Church  Song,  was  made  painfully 
aware.  He  thought  room  could  be  made  for  the  new  hymns 
desired  and  for  a  selection  of  tunes  in  one  volume  with 
Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  by  the  process  of  dropping  some 
of  the  less  used  psalms  and  hymns  and  shortening  the  longer 
ones.  A  volume  so  made  up  he  published  at  Boston  in 
18 1 5  as  Christian  Psalmody,  in  four  parts;  comprising  Dr. 
Watts' s  Psalms  abridged;  Dr.  Watts' s  Hymns  abridged; 
select  Hymns  from  other  authors;  and  select  Harmony. 
The  churches  resented  this  mode  of  dealing  with  Watts, 
and  the  book  was  met  by  charges  of  "mangling,"  "ampu- 
tating," and  "robbing"  Watts,  and  by  calls  for  "Watts 
entire."^^  In  view  of  this  prejudice  and  demand  and  the 
solicitation  of  his  publisher,  Worcester  abandoned  his  Chris- 
tian Psalmody,  enlarged  the  selection  of  hymns  it  contained, 
and,  against  his  own  taste  and  judgment,  appended  them 
to  the  complete  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  Watts.  The  new 
collection  appeared  at  Boston  in  18 19  as  The  Psalms, 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  of  the  Rev.  Isaac  Watts,  D.D., 
to  which  are  added  select  Hymns  from  other  authors;  and 
directions  for  musical  expression.  By  Samuel  Worcester, 
D.D.  It  was  revised  in  1823,  and  again  in  1834  by  his  son, 
and  came  into  wide  use  throughout  New  England  and  even 
beyond  it.  Familiarly  known  as  "Watts  and  Select,"  it 
became  one  of  the  best  recognized  channels  of  Watts' 
ascendency  over  Church  Song,  and  so  continued  as  long  as 
the  churches  were  disposed  to  regard  the  ever  widening  area 
of  English  Hymnody  in  the  light  of  an  appendage  to  Watts' 
Psalms  and  Hymns. 

'"S.  M.  Worcester,  Life  of  Rev.  Samuel  Worcester,  Boston,   1852, 
vol.  ii,  p.  267. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  169 

2.     An  American  School  of  Church  Music 

The  transition  from  the  older  Psalmody  to  Watts  in  New 
England  became  associated  with  a  great  change  in  the 
character  of  the  tunes  used  in  the  churches.  The  formation 
of  singing  societies  and  choirs  led  to  a  desire  for  tunes  less 
simple  than  the  accustomed  settings  of  the  older  psalm 
tunes,  and  in  greater  variety.  Reprints  appeared  at  Boston 
and  Newburyport  of  recent  English  tune  books  by  William 
Tans'ur  and  Aaron  Williams,  and  became  very  popular ;  and 
a  group  of  native  composers  began  to  introduce  com- 
positions of  their  own  into  the  tune  books  and  choirs.  The 
most  notable  of  these  and  the  most  influential  in  effecting 
the  change  was  an  eccentric  but  gifted  tanner's  apprentice 
of  Boston,  William  Billings,  who  had  printed  in  1770  his 
first  book  of  original  compositions,  as  The  New-England 
Psalm-Singer:  or,  American  Chorister,  containing  a  number 
of  Psalm-tunes,  Anthems  and  Canons.  In  four  or  five  parts. 
[Never  before  published.]  Composed  by  William  Billings, 
a  native  of  Boston,  in  New  England  (Boston,  Edes  and 
Gill) .  The  book  proved  acceptable  to  New  England  singing 
schools.  During  the  war  Billings  wrote  or  adapted  patriotic 
psalms,  and  set  them  to  stirring  melodies  of  his  own  com- 
position. His  original  "Let  tyrants  shake  their  iron  rod," 
to  his  tune  "Chester,"  and  his  "Lamentation  over  Boston," 
beginning  "By  the  Rivers  of  Watertown  we  sat  down  and 
wept,"  are  now  best  remembered.^"  The  words  stirred 
the  patriotic  heart,  and  with  their  striking  melodies  were 
sung  at  home  and  by  the  choirs,  and  especially  in  the  mili- 
tary camps.  The  New  England  soldiers  learned  the  words 
by  heart,  and  every  fifer  the  tunes,  and  carried  them  to 
whatever  part  of  the  country  duty  called  them. 

In  1778  Billings  published  at  Boston  The  Singing  Mas- 
ter's Assistant,  or  Key  to  practical  Music.  Its  tunes  of 
lively   rhythm  and   captivating  melody,    with  much   inde- 

"Words  and  music  may  be  found  in  his  The  Singing  Master's 
Assistant,  1778;  the  former  as  No.  12,  the  latter  as  No.  33. 


I70  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

pendence  of  movement  in  the  various  voice-parts  and  some 
unexpected  harmonic  results,  proved  very  popular  with 
singing  schools  and  church  choirs,  and  drove  out  the  slower 
and  more  solemn  psalm-tunes.  Billings  established  a  dis- 
tinctively American  school  of  church  music,^®  carried  on 
by  Jacob  Kimball,  Oliver  Holden,^^  Daniel  Reed,^^  Timothy 
Swan,'*^  and  others,  who  were  his  followers;  and  it  domi- 
nated Congregational  Song  in  New  England  for  many 
years. 

The  new  music,  while  tickling  the  senses,  lacked  the 
reverence  and  spiritual  feeling  of  the  old.  But  the  close  of 
the  Revolution  was  particularly  distinguished  for  the 
absence  of  just  those  qualities;  and  the  swing  and  virility 
of  the  new  tunes  suited  the  occasion,  while  the  exciting 
contests  of  the  voice-parts  gave  welcome  occupation  to  the 
singing  schools  and  the  new  choirs. 

The  reader  of  The  Diary  of  William  Bentlcy,  D.D., 
Pastor  of  the  East  Church,  Salem,  Massachusetts,'^^  cover- 
ing 1 784-1802,  can  follow  the  agitated  efforts  to  improve 
the  Psalmody  in  a  parish  where  the  minister  was  bent  on 
bettering  the  singing,  the  visits  of  successive  "professors," 
the  fortunes  of  a  parochial  singing-school,  thought  by  some 

'"The  personality  and  work  of  this  one-eyed,  iUtaught,  and  en- 
thusiastic natural  genius,  form  an  engaging  theme,  from  whatever 
view-point  it  be  approached.  The  only  adequate  materials  for  study- 
ing him  are  the  music,  treatises,  prefaces,  &c.,  contained  in  the  series 
of  his  tune  books.  The  most  satisfactory  approaches  to  the  musical 
side  of  his  work  are  found  in  Dr.  F.  R.  Ritter's  Music  in  America, 
new.  ed..  New  York,  1890,  chap,  iii;  and  Louis  C.  Elson's  The  History 
of  American  Music,  New  York,  1904,  chap.  i.  Something  of  the 
human  side  appears  in  George  P.  Upton's  Musical  Pastels,  Chicago, 
1902,  in  a  sketch  of  him,  wrongly  entitled  "The  first  American  Com- 
poser." It  is  now  well  established  that  both  Hopkinson  and  Lyon  were 
his  predecessors  (see  O.  G.  Sonneck,  Francis  Hopkinson  and  James 
Lyon,  Washington,  1905)  ;  though  the  fact  abates  nothing  of  Billings' 
original  force. 

^'Composer  of  "Coronation." 

^'Composer  of  "Lisbon"  and  "Windham." 

"Composer  of  "China." 

**Salem,  Mass.,  1905,  1907. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  171 

to  encourage  immorality,  the  introduction  of  instrumental 
music  ;^^  and  he  will  find  also  a  brief  outline  of  the  history 
of  New  England  Psalmody.'*'* 

The  new  style  of  church  music  did  not  spread  over  New 
England  without  considerable  protest.  Andrew  Law  of 
Connecticut,  one  of  the  most  successful  "Professors  of 
Psalmody"  contemporaneous  with  Billings,  resisted  his  in- 
fluence from  the  first,  and  in  his  numerous  books  of  instruc- 
tion and  of  tunes  aimed  to  avoid  the  seductive  "fuguing 
tunes."  By  the  beginning  of  the  XlXth  century  the  protest 
against  the  new  music  became  more  pronounced.  The 
Middlesex  Musical  Society  voiced  the  opposition  in  the 
preface  to  its  Middlesex  Collection  of  Church  Music:  or, 
Ancient  Psalmody  revived  (Boston,  1807)  : 

"The  spirit  and  flavor  of  old  wine  are  always  depressed  by  the 
commixture  of  new.  .  .  .  The  principal  design  of  [this  work]  is,  to  form 
and  improve  a  taste  for  music,  well  adapted  to  promote  religion  and 
piety.  .  .  .  Patronage  and  co-operation  are  earnestly  solicited,  from  all 
those  in  the  community,  who  are  well  disposed  to  the  public  institutions 
of  religion,  and  desirous  that  the  singing  in  our  solemn  assemblies 
may  be  performed  'with  the  spirit  and  with  the  understanding.'  And 
it  is  hoped  the  time  is  not  far  distant,  when  none  will  have  the  temerity 
to  advocate  or  countenance  profaning  the  house  of  the  Lord,  by  offer- 
ing a  Babel  confusion  of  tongues,  as  an  act  of  homage  in  divine 
worship." 

This  reads  like  a  retort  to  the  preface  of  The  First 
Church  Collection  of  sacred  musick  of  the  previous  year : 

"In  the  knowledge  and  practice  of  sacred  musick,  as  might  justly 
be  expected,  the  psalmodists  of  the  elder  continent  are  vastly  superior 
to  those  of  America.  But  is  this  fact  a  sufficient  reason  for  the  total 
disuse  of  American  musick?  .  .  .  Instead  therefore  of  ridiculing  the 
productions  of  our  age  and  country,  and  indiscriminately  condemning 
to  oblivion  the  incipient  efforts  of  the  American  composer,  let  us, 
while  we  reject  his  worst,  commend  his  best;  and,  by  using  them 
alternately  with  the  labours  of  able  masters,  form  him  to  a  riper 
judgment  and  a  purer  taste  ...  In  the  exercise  therefore  of  that 
charity,  which  teaches  us  not  to  please  ourselves  merely,  but  our 
christian  brethren  also,  with  a  view  to  their  edification,  we  humbly 
commit  our  endeavours  to  their  use." 

^^  "There  is  now  no  ground  of  complaint  against  the  catholics." 
"Vol.  ii,  p.  371. 


172  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

We  thus  get  the  atmosphere  of  the  controversy  which 
helped  to  clear  the  air,  and  which,  together  with  the  spread 
of  better  musical  knowledge  and  taste,  eventually  prepared 
the  way  for  the  Lowell  Mason  epoch  in  American  church 
music. 

It  is  likely  that  the  most  voluminous  of  the  composers 
of  this  period,  Samuel  Holyoke  of  Massachusetts,  counted 
himself  a  reformer,  and  that  he  regarded  The  Columbian 
Repository  of  sacred  harmony  (Exeter,  N.  H.,  n.  d.), 
published  in  the  first  decade  of  the  XlXth  century,  as 
adapted  to  forward  the  reaction  from  the  extremes  of  the 
Billings  school.  Whether  it  was  so  or  not,  his  book  remains 
as  a  colossal  monument  of  the  ascendency  of  Watts  over 
the  congregational  praise  of  New  England.  This  folio 
volume  of  496  pages  contains  nothing  less  than  a  complete 
reprint  of  Watts'  Psalms  of  David  imitated^^  and  his  Hymns 
and  Spiritual  Songs,  with  every  Psalm  version  and  hymn 
set  to  its  special  tune  in  four  parts.  As  an  offering  to  New 
England  choirs,  unable  to  read  at  sight  or  to  use  so  great 
a  variety  of  music,  it  was  ineffective  from  the  first;  but  as 
a  New  England  tribute  to  Dr.  Watts  its  testimony  remains 
unimpaired. 

The  closing  pages  of  Holyoke's  book  are  occupied  by  a 
"Supplement"  of  tunes  "suited  to  Metres  in  Dr.  Belknap's 
and  Tate  &  Brady's  Psalms  and  Hymns,  which  are  not  in 
Dr.  Watts'."  This  supplement  serves  to  remind  us  that  a 
dissenting  type  of  Congregationalist  Hymnody  had  already 
risen  in  New  England,  which  now  demands  consideration. 

3.     The  Liberals  Compile  "Non-Trinitarian"  Hymn 
Books  (1753-1823) 

The  church  at  Brattle  Square,  Boston,  had  been  the  first 

"Holyoke  seems  to  have  taken  as  his  text  of  The  Psalms  imitated  an 
Americanized  version  first  printed  by  Isaiah  Thomas  at  Worcester  in 
1786,  and  characterized  by  its  omission  of  the  C.  M.  Version  of  Psalm 
21. 

I 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  173 

to  break  away  from  the  fixed  order  of  New  England  Con- 
gregationalism. Though  regarded  as  radical,  it  was  or- 
ganized upon  the  basis  of  the  Westminster  Confession,  and 
in  the  matter  of  Church  Praise  was  most  conservative. 
When  Thomas  Brattle,  whose  will  was  probated  May  23, 
1 713,  bequeathed  his  organ  to  the  church,  the  congregation 
voted  that  they  did  not  think  it  proper  to  use  the  same  in 
the  public  worship  of  God."**'  To  the  efforts  of  its  pastor, 
Benjamin  Colman,  Watts  attributed  the  introduction  of  his 
Imitations  into  several  New  England  parishes."^  In  1739 
Colman  got  his  church  to  vote  for  a  collection  of  hymns  to 
be  selected  from  Watts,  but  found  that  even  the  attempt  to 
use  a  new  version  of  the  Psalms  so  endangered  the  peace 
of  the  church  that  he  decided  to  leave  things  as  they  were.^^ 
Nevertheless  the  Brattle  Street  Church,  after  Colman's 
death,  led  the  way  in  hymn  singing  among  Boston  churches, 
adopting  in  1753  Tate  and  Brady  with  an  appendix  of 
hymns  to  be  selected  by  a  committee.*^  This  appeared  in 
1754  as  Appendix,  containing  a  number  of  Hymns,  taken 
chieiiy  from  Dr.  Watts's  Scriptural  Collection,  and  was 
enlarged  from  time  to  time  to  include  103  hymns.^"  Tate 
and  Brady  with  this  appendix,  and  sometimes  with  D. 
Bayley's  Essex  Harmony  or  his  Psalm  Singer's  Assistant, 
bound  in,  appeared  often  in  the  next  half  century,  and  be- 
came the  means  of  introducing  hymns  of  Watts  into  a  num- 
ber of  parishes. 

The  installation  of  Jonathan  Mayhew  over  the  West 
Church  in   1747  was  the  first  definite  recognition  of  the 

"S.  K.  Lothrop,  History  of  Brattle-Street  Church,  Boston,  1851,  pp. 
61,  62:  more  fully  in  "The  first  Organ  in  America,"  New  England 
Magazine,  Oct.,   1902,  pp.  212  ff. 

"Proc.  of  Mass.  Hist.  Soc.,  2nd  series,  vol.  ix,  pp.  365,  397- 

''Ibid.,  p.  365. 

'"See  preface  to  "Brattle  Square  Collection,"  1825. 

■"The  hymns  numbered  77-100  in  the  Appendix  to  Tate  and  Brady 
published  by  S.  Kneeland,  Boston,  1760,  were  an  addition  to  the 
Brattle  Street  Appendix  made  by  Mather  Byles  for  the  HoUis  Street 
Church. 


174  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Arian  opinions  and  tendencies  which  had  crossed  over  from 
Enghsh  Presbyterianism ;  and  by  the  last  quarter  of  the 
century  nearly  all  the  Congregationalist  pulpits  in  and  near 
Boston  were  filled  by  Unitarians. '"^^ 

Mayhew  found  Tate  and  Brady  in  use  at  the  West 
Church,  and  asked  for  no  change  during  his  life,  though 
a  choir  took  the  place  of  the  precentor  about  1754.^^  No 
hymns  were  sung  in  the  West  Church  till  the  appearance  in 
1783  of  A  Collection  of  Hymns,  more  particularly  designed 
for  the  use  of  the  West  Society  in  Boston,  (2nd  ed.  1803; 
3rd,  1806).^^  Its  opening  hymns  were  entitled  "Toleration" 
and  "Persecution,"  but  it  contained  also  hymns  on  "Jesus, 
worshipped  by  all  the  Creation,"  "The  Atonement  of 
Christ,"  and  "Christ's  Propitiation  improv'd."  William 
Bentley  of  the  East  Church,  Salem,  already  an  avowed 
Unitarian,'^''  followed  with  A  Colection  of  Hymns  for  pub- 
lick  worship  (Salem,  n.  d.  but  1788),"''*^  which  reached  a 
third  edition,  and  was  used  in  the  East  Church  until  1842.^^ 
Its  only  interest  lies  in  the  selection,  at  so  early  a  date,  of 
the  Salisbury  Collection  of  1778  as  the  source  of  nearly  all 
its  hymns.  Six  years  later  Jeremy  Belknap  "performed  a 
very  important  service  for  the  non-Trinitarian  churches"^^ 
by  publishing  Sacred  Poetry.  Consisting  of  Psalms  and 
Hymns,  adapted  to  Christian  devotion,  in  public  and  private. 
Selected  from  the  best  authors,  with  variations  and  addi- 
tions (Boston,  1795).     This  important  (it  has  been  called 

"C/.  A.  P.  Peabody  in  The  Memorial  History  of  Boston,  vol.  iii,  pp. 
467  ff. 

"Chas.  Lowell,  Discourse  in  the  West  Church,  Boston,  1820,  p.  26. 

"'Bentley  says  it  was  edited  by  Dr.  Howard.  See  his  Diary,  vol.  ii, 
P-  371. 

"/fold.,  vol.  i,  p.  98. 

°'In  the  "Bibliography"  of  the  Diary,  vol.  i,  p.  xxxvii,  it  is  dated 
1789,  but  came  from  the  printer  in  November,  1788  (vol.  i,  p.  109). 
The  writer's  copy  was  "The  Gift  of  Rev.  Mr.  Bentley,  1789."  For  an 
interesting  defence  of  the  theology  of  his  Collection,  made  to  his 
father,  see  Diary,  vol.  i,  p.  114. 

^Diary,  vol.  i,  p.  xiii. 

"Dr.  Peabody  in  Memorial  History  of  Boston,  vol.  iii,  p.  473. 


''RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  175 

"famous") ^^^  book  has  been  described  by  Dr.  Peabody^^  "as 
an  index  of  the  rehgious  behef  and  feehng  of  the  churches 
that  welcomed  its  advent."  If  so,  it  would  be  easy  to  show 
that  the  churches  held  all  the  cardinal  doctrines  of  Calvin- 
ism. But  Belknap's  own  curious  point  of  view  is  thus 
revealed  in  his  preface: 

"In  this  selection  those  Christians,  who  do  not  scruple  to  sing 
praise  to  their  Redeemer  and  Sanctifier,  will  find  materials  for  such  a 
sublime  enjoyment;  whilst  others  whose  tenderness  of  conscience  may 
oblige  them  to  confine  their  addresses,  to  the  Father  only  will  find  no 
deficiency  of  matter  suited  to  their  idea  of  'the  chaste  and  awful  spirit 
of  devotion.'  " "" 

Belknap's  book  won  great  favor,  and  continued  to  satisfy 
a  considerable  proportion  of  the  "non-Trinitarian  churches" 
through  and  beyond  the  first  quarter  of  the  XlXth  cen- 
tury.^ ^  Freeman's  A  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for 
publick  ivorsliip  (Boston,  1799:  2nd  ed.,  1813),  for  King's 
Chapel,  was  made  from  its  American  predecessors  just 
referred  to,  the  English  books  from  the  Liverpool  Collec- 
tion of  1763  to  Enfield's  of  1795,  and  Tate  and  Brady.  In 
1808,  the  year  of  Henry  Ware's  election  as  Hollis  Professor 
at  Harvard,  the  Brattle  Street  Church  annexed  to  its  col- 
lection Hymns  for  public  worship.  Part  ii;  whose  exclusion 
of  "most  of  the  capital  doctrines  of  the  gospel"  was  at  once 
challenged  by  The  Panoplist.^^  From  the  Panoplist's  point 
of  view  William  Emerson's  A  Collection  of  Psalms  and 
Hymns  (Boston,  1808),  was  even  more  open  to  the  same 
charge.  His  book  was  ineffective,  but  interesting  for  an 
attempt  to  refine  and  enrich  "Columbian  musick"  by  "pre- 
fixing to  each  psalm  and  hymn  the  name  of  a  tune,  well 

"'By  Dr.  S.  A.  Eliot,  in  Heralds  of  a  Liberal  Faith,  Boston,  1910, 
vol.  i,  p.  103. 

'"«/  supra. 

°"In  Watts'  familiar  line  "Save  in  the  death  of  Christ  my  God," 
Belknap's  only  alteration  was  the  substitution  of  "But"  for  "Save." 

"2nd  ed.,  1797;  3rd,  1801;  4th,  1804;  5th,  iSoS;  new.  ed.,  1812,  often 
reprinted. 

"See  the  review  in  the  number  for  Sept.  1808;  the  reply  of  "Brattle 
Street"  and  editorial  comments  thereon  in  the  Nov.  number. 


176  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

composed  and  judicially  chosen"  as  "a  valuable  auxiliary 
to  musical  bands." 

To  Philadelphia  Unitarianism  came  directly  from  Eng- 
land with  Dr.  Priestley;  and  in  1812  Ralph  Eddowes  and 
James  Taylor,  who  had  charge  of  the  little  congregation 
Priestley  founded,  published  A  Selection  of  sacred  Poetry, 
consisting  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  from  Watts,  Doddridge, 
Merrick,  Scott,  Cowper,  Barhauld,  Steele,  and  others.^^ 
Eddowes  had  already  published  a  tract  on  The  inconsistency 
of  several  passages  in  Doctor  Watts's  Hymns  zvith  Scrip- 
ture and  with  each  other.^^  But,  the  inexpediency  of  using 
"Watts  entire"  being  thus  demonstrated,  Eddowes  drew 
freely  from  him  and  other  evangelical  sources,  and  in  his 
collection  of  606  hymns  aimed  not  unsuccessfully  to  avoid 
offence  to  the  orthodox  bodies  that  enveloped  his  little  con- 
gregation. 

Little  account  of  the  Philadelphia  book  was  taken  in  New 
England,  although  the  situation  there  was  regarded  as  un- 
satisfactory. It  was  becoming  a  matter  of  reproach  that 
numerous  churches,  though  now  enrolled  on  the  "liberal" 
side,  persisted  in  using  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns,  to  which 
they  had  formerly  become  attached.^  ^  And  not  less  so  that 
of  all  the  books  aiming  to  supersede  Watts  or  Psalm  ver- 
sions, the  "only  collection  now  in  common  use"  was  Belk- 
nap's with  "its  unnatural  combination  of  eager  Arianism 
and  half-willing  Orthodoxy."*^^  Two  books  were  prepared 
with  a  view  of  meeting  this  situation.  The  earlier  was 
Henry  F.  Sewall's  A  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns,  for 
social  and  private  worship  (N.  Y.  1820;  2nd  ed.,  1827). 
This  urbane  expression  of  "a  calm  and  rational  faith"  was 
favorably  regarded  by  Boston  periodicals,^^  but  failed  of 
adoption  by  New  England  churches.     It  retains,  however, 

'"2nd  ed.,  1818;  3rd,  1828;  4th,  1846. 

"Included  in  A  Coll.  of  Pieces  and  Tracts  pub.  by  the  First  Unitarian 
Society,  Phila.,   1810. 

^^The  Christian  Disciple,  vol.  iii,  1821,  p.  341. 

^^Ibid.,  pp.  76,  362. 

"E.  g.  The  Christian  Disciple  for  1821,  pp.  76,  360-369. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  177 

the  distinction  of  introducing  five  originals  of  William  Cul- 
len  Bryant.  The  other  book  had  a  nearly  similar  title,  A 
Selection  of  Hymns  and  Psalms,  for  social  and  prwate 
worship  (Andover,  182 1;  2nd  ed.,  Cambridge,  1824;  nth 
ed.,  Boston,  1832).  It  was  compiled  by  J.  P.  Dabney,  with 
an  eye  for  practical  considerations :  being  smaller,  cheaper, 
better  arranged,  and  with  less  tinkering  of  familiar  texts, 
than  Sewall's.  It  came  into  very  considerable,  though  far 
from  universal,  use  in  the  churches.  We  may  perhaps  re- 
gard these  two  books,  and  the  new  West  Church  Collection 
of  1823,  as  closing  the  earlier  series  of  liberal  or  Unitarian 
hymn  books ;  to  be  followed  in  turn  by  the  remarkable  series 
of  a  more  "literary"  type  that  distinguished  the  mid-century. 
The  books  of  this  early  period  are  characterized  by  their 
omissions  rather  than  their  inclusions,  as  being  the  work 
of  men  (except  perhaps  Freeman),  who  "had  not  made  up 
their  own  minds"  "on  the  subject  of  the  nature  and  offices 
of  Jesus. "^^  Meantime  they  avoided  the  area  "still  con- 
troverted among  Christians"  (Sewall),  and  "what  savors  of 
party  spirit  and  sectarian  notions"  (Emerson).  This  meant 
practically  to  alter  or  omit  the  older  hymns  of  evangelical 
implication  and  to  multiply  hymns  confined  to  "the  natural 
or  universal  aspects  of  religion."  It  resulted,  except  in  the 
case  of  Belknap's  anomalous  book,  in  a  marked  coldness  of 
tone  as  contrasted  with  Watts'.  Belknap,  Emerson,  Ed- 
dowes  and  Sewall  avowedly  aim  to  adapt  their  books  to 
"Christians  in  general."  Dabney  is  the  only  one  who  rec- 
ognizes that  his  "cannot  meet  with  very  general  acceptance." 

II.     The  Presbyterians  (i 739-1827) 

I.     "New  Side"  Churches  Venture  to  Sing  Watts' 
"Imitations" 

The  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  colonies  was  by  its  varied 
inheritance  and  its  own  practice  a  psalm  singing  Church. 

""Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  in  Sprague,  Annals  of  the  American  Uni- 
tarian Pulpit,  New  York,   1865,  p.  245. 


178  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

It  cannot,  however,  be  claimed  that  an  exclusively  Scriptural 
Psalmody  was  made  a  church  principle,  since  the  Adopting 
Act  of  1729  failed  to  include  the  Westminster  Directory  for 
Worship  as  a  part  of  its  written  constitution.  Neither  was 
there  any  special  psalm  book  in  prescribed  or  even  general 
use.  But  the  hold  of  the  Scottish  type  of  Psalmody  was 
materially  strengthened  by  the  great  volume  of  immigration 
from  the  North  of  Ireland.  The  Scotch-Irish  brought  with 
them  The  Psalms  of  David  in  meeter  bound  in  with  their 
Bibles,  and  to  their  minds  almost  a  part  of  it.  They  had 
been  accustomed  to  a  Scriptural  Psalmody  as  of  course: 
few  of  them  knew  any  psalm  book  but  their  own :  and  they 
were  not  of  the  temper  that  is  personally  concerned  with 
the  literary  or  musical  development  of  Church  Song. 

Thus  reinforced,  the  whole  lump  of  Presbyterianism  be- 
came more  impervious  than  some  other  Churches  were  to 
the  leaven  of  Watts'  influence.  Indeed,  the  Scotch-Irish 
gift  for  colonization  tended  to  remove  whole  sections  of 
the  Church  beyond  contact  with  that  influence.  It  carried 
large  numbers  away  from  the  established  centres  of  civiliza- 
tion, and  segregated  them  in  frontier  settlements,  where 
their  own  ways  were  unquestioned  and  their  minds  became 
incurious.  And  so  it  could  happen,  that,  when  in  1763  the 
reunited  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  was  ques- 
tioned as  to  whether  churches  were  at  liberty  "to  sing  Dr. 
Watts's  imitation  of  David's  Psalms,"  the  Synod  was  not 
prepared  to  give  a  full  answer,  "as  a  great  number  of  this 
body  have  never  particularly  considered  Dr.  Watts's  imi- 
tation."^'^ 

There  was,  on  the  other  hand,  within  the  Church  an 
aggressive  element,  Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish,  well  informed 
as  to  Watts'  work  and  influence,  and  fully  prepared  to  resist 
it.  And  just  beyond  the  Church's  borders  a  number  of 
small  bodies  were  forming,  who  represented  one  or  other 
type  of  Scottish  dissent ;  unalterably  set  in  principle  on  the 
strictest  platform  of  psalm  singing,  and  in  practice  con- 

"'Records  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  ed.  1904,  p.  331. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  179 

fined  to  "Rous'  Version."  Neither  their  principles  nor  in- 
terest called  them  to  quench  the  embers  of  strife  in  the 
larger  body  or  to  refuse  a  refuge  to  the  disaffected. 

Under  these  circumstances  it  was  inevitable  that  Presby- 
terian hymn  singing  should  be  deferred,  and  that  its  intro- 
duction should  involve  controversy.  There  was  indeed  no 
general  desire  to  sing  hymns  among  Colonial  Presbyterians. 
The  progressives  asked  no  more  than  liberty  to  choose  their 
own  psalm  book;  and  it  was  not  till  the  beginning  of  the 
XlXth  century  that  the  Church  formally  authorized  the  use 
of  any  designated  hymn  book. 

The  first  influence  that  modified  the  uniformity  of  the 
old  Psalmody,  among  Presbyterians  as  among  Congrega- 
tionalists,  was  the  quickened  evangelical  fervor  aroused  bv 
the  Great  Awakening;  which  revival  became  indeed  the  oc- 
casion of  splitting  the  Church  itself  in  1741  into  "New  Side" 
and  "Old  Side"  synods. 

This  influence  is  nowhere  more  clearly  brought  out  than 
in  the  apologia  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Church  in  New  York 
for  the  change  in  their  congregational  Psalmody  -^^ 

"That  during  the  times  of  the  Revival  of  Religion  in  the  years  1739, 
I7-|0  and  1741  when  God  said  to  this  church,  arise,  shine  for  thy  light 
is  come,  &c.,  there  was  a  vast  accession  of  people  to  this  Light  and 
to  the  brightness  of  this  churches  rising;  in  that  period  the  poetick 
writings  particularly  the  Hymns  of  the  sweet  singer  of  our  Israel 
became  of  excellent  service  and  for  the  divine  relish  which  in  the 
use  of  them  had  afifected  many  minds.  During  that  remarkable  season, 
many  of  the  people  became  desirous  of  introducing  some  one  of  the 
New  Versions  of  the  Psalms,  into  the  stated  publick  worship  of  the 
congregation ;  and  from  their  knowledge  and  experience  of  their 
suitableness  to  animate  and  raise  their  own  devotion,  hoping  this  might 
produce  the  same  efifect  on  others.  After  this  matter  had  been  some 
years  under  consideration  and  by  the  private  use  of  the  New  Version, 
the  old  Version  had  become  every  day  to  the  Taste  of  many  more 
and  more  flat,  dull,  insipid  and  undevotional  .  .  .  and  it  had  been 
judged  that  no  objection  could  arise  against  introducing  Doctor  Watts 
version  but  from  ignorance  of  the  difiference  between  the  old  version 
and  that,  or  from  some  unreasonable  prejudice,  the  ministers,  elders, 
deacons  and  trustees  with  the  approbation  of  the  principal  part  of  the 

'"Ms.  Journal,  quoted  in  Briggs,  American  Presbxtcrianisni,  New 
York,  1885,  pp.  280,  281. 


i8o  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

congregation,  .  .  .  desired  that,  that  version  might  be  proposed  to  the 
congregation  to  be  introduced  in  a  months  time  unless  sufficient  reason 
to  the  contrary  should  be  signified  to  Mr.  Pemberton  in  the  mean 
time." 

The  minority  at  once  organized  as  a  Scotch  Presbyterian 
Society,  and  complained  to  Presbytery,  which  body  referred 
the  matter  to  the  (New  Side)  Synod  of  New  York.  Synod 
in  1752  appointed  a  committee  to  adjust  the  difficulties, 
with  power  to  authorize  the  use  of  Watts'  Imitations,  and 
a  larger  committee  in  1753.  In  1754  Synod  adopted  the 
findings  of  this  committee  objecting  to  certain  proceedings, 
but  deciding  that  "since  Dr.  Watts's  version  is  introduced 
in  this  church,  and  is  well  adapted  for  Christian  worship, 
and  received  by  many  Presbyterian  congregations,  both  in 
America  and  Great  Britain,  they  cannot  but  judge  it  best 
for  the  well-being  of  the  congregation  under  their  present 
circumstances,  that  they  should  be  continued.""^  The  dis- 
turbance in  New  York  continuing,  the  Synod  of  1755 
directed  "that  the  Scotch  version  be  used  equally  with  the 
other."^^  This  direction  was  not  obeyed.  The  Synod  of 
1756  rebuked  the  majority  for  their  adherence  to  Watts, 
but  also  revoked  their  order  of  the  previous  year;  thus 
leaving  Wattts'  Imitations  in  sole  possession  of  the  field.'"^ 
The  offended  minority  withdrew  from  the  New  York 
church  to  form  "The  Scotch  Church,"  which  was  taken 
under  the  care  of  the  Associate  Presbytery,  representing 
one  of  the  secessions  from  the  Church  of  Scotland. 

The  introduction  of  the  "new  version"  into  churches 
newly  established  involved  less  difficulty.  That  at  New- 
buryport,  organized  by  Whitefield's  supporters  in  1746,  used 
Watts'  Imitations  from  the  beginning;  and  they  were 
recommended  by  the  Presbytery  of  Boston  as  "well  adapted 
to  the  New  Testament  Church."'^^    Newburyport  and  its 

''^Records,  p.  260. 
'Hbid.,  p.  267. 
'^Ibid.,  p.  275. 

"H.  C.  Hovey,  Origin  and  Annals  of  "The  Old  South"  in  New- 
buryport, Boston,  1896,  p.  53. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  i8i 

Presbytery  were  independent,  but  the  process  of  church 
extension  under  the  New  Side  Synod  of  New  York 
developed  some  similar  situations.  Samuel  Davies,  whom 
the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle  ordained  for  missionary  work 
in  Virginia,  introduced  there  not  only  The  Psalms  imitated 
but  even  the  Hymns  of  Watts.  Two  of  the  former  were 
sung  at  the  installation  of  John  Todd  over  a  Hanover 
congregation  on  November  12,  1752,  and  printed  in  full  in 
connection  with  Davies'  Installation  sermon. '^^  In  1755  he 
wrote  from  Hanover  that  Watts'  Psalms  and  Plymns  were 
"the  system  of  psalmody  the  Dissenters  use  in  these  parts," 
and  in  the  same  year  made  requisition  upon  the  London 
Society  for  Promoting  Religious  Knowledge  for  "a  good 
number"  of  the  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  the  use  of  his  black 
people.  He  had  found  there  are  no  books  they  learn  so 
soon  or  take  such  pleasure  in,  as  they  have  "a  kind  of 
ecstatic  delight  in  psalmody."'*'  Davies'  use  of  the  Hymns 
was  independent  and  exceptional  at  that  date;  and  in  con- 
nection with  the  writing  and  publication  of  hymns  of  his 
own  composition,  makes  him  a  pioneer  of  Hymnody  in  the 
American  Presbyterian  Church. 

After  Davies'  departure  for  Princeton  John  Todd  "was 
called  to  wear  his  mantle" ;  and  when  a  petition  was  pre- 
sented to  the  recently  formed  Presbytery  of  Hanover, 
"desiring  their  opinion,  whether  Dr.  Watts's  psalmody 
might  with  safety  be  used  in  the  churches,"  Todd  delivered 
by  invitation  of  that  body  a  trenchant  defence  of  "Gospel 
Songs"  and  of  the  use  of  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  as 
"the  best  now  extant"  : — An  humble  attempt  tozvards  the 
improvement  of  Psalmody:  The  propriety,  necessity  and 
use,  of  Evangelical  Psalms,  in  Christian  zvorship.  Delivered 
at  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover  in   Virginia, 


^"A  Sermon  preached  at  the  Installation  of  the  Revd.  Mr.  John 
Todd,  Glasgow,  1754,  pp.  17,  113. 

''^Letters  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Davies,  2nd  ed.,  London,  1757.  p.  12; 
W.  H.  Foote,  Sketches  of  Virginia    [first  series],   Philada.,   1850,  pp. 


i82  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

October  6th,  I/62  (Philadelphia:  Andrew  Steuart,  1763). 
"I  am  fully  persuaded,"  he  said,  "that  the  churches  in  these 
parts  have  received  very  great  advantage  from  [Watts'] 
excellent  compositions,  especially  his  sacramental  hymns." 
By  others  in  the  Presbytery  this  opinion  was  not  shared. 

Even  on  the  New  Side  the  change  in  the  Psalmody  was 
hesitating  and  gradual.  The  Old  Side  churches  furnished 
no  occasion  for  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  to  adjudicate  on 
Psalmody  during  the  whole  period  of  the  schism.  When  in 
1763  the  query  already  noted  as  to  the  status  of  "Dr.  Watts's 
imitation"  in  the  reunited  Church  reached  the  Synod  of 
New  York  and  Philadelphia,  it  is  plain  that  recent  investi- 
gation had  convinced  many  that  the  Imitations  could  not 
be  regarded  as  Psalm-versions.  In  the  Synod  of  1764  there 
was  hot  debate,  and  the  situation  was  difficult  between 
lingering  Old  Side  scruples  and  the  New  Side  precedent  in 
the  New  York  case.  No  conclusion  could  be  reached  till  the 
Synod  of  1765  compromised  upon  a  hesitating  allowance 
of  the  Imitations  in  these  terms  : 

"The  Synod  judged  it  best,  in  present  circumstances,  only  to  declare 
that  they  look  on  the  inspired  Psalms  in  Scripture,  to  be  proper  matter 
to  be  sung  in  Divine  worship,  according  to  their  original  design  and 
the  practice  of  the  Christian  churches,  yet  will  not  forbid  those  to 
use  the  imitation  of  them  whose  judgment  and  inclination  lead  them 
to  do  so."  "' 

In  the  very  year  of  this  query,  John  Miller,  by  training 
a  Congregationalist,  was  complained  of  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Lewes,  Delaware,  for  introducing  Watts'  Imitations  into 
his  Duck  Creek  charge.  The  Presbytery  sustained  him,  but 
his  other  charge  at  Dover,  continued  to  sing  "Rous'  Ver- 
sion" for  many  years. "^ 

At  Philadelphia,  in  the  Second  Church,  initiated  by 
\\'hitefield's  visit,  and  shepherded  by  Gilbert  Tennent,  no 
steps  toward  changing  the  Psalmody  were  ventured  on  till 
1773.     At  the  Whitefield  Memorial  Service,  October  14, 

''Records,  p.  345- 

"S.  Miller,  Life  of  Samuel  Miller,  Phila.,  1869,  vol.  i,  p.  22. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSx\LMODY"  183 

1770,  Watts'  hymn,  "A  Funeral  Thought,"  and  Wesley's 
"Ah !  lovely  appearance  of  death,"  taken  from  Whitefield's 
hymn  book,  were  sung  by  a  company  of  young  people/'' 
but  doubtless  regarded  as  "anthems."*^  On  March  15, 
1773,  the  congregation  voted  to  introduce  Watts'  Imita- 
tions. So  much  protest  was  made  that  a  second  congrega- 
tional meeting  was  held  on  March  22,  which  ratified  the 
choice  by  a  vote  of  38  for  Watts,  and  8  for  Rous.^^  The 
minority  vainly  petitioned  the  session  to  reinstate  "Rous" 
as  the  only  way  to  restore  order  and  peace,  and  appealed  to 
the  First  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  which  refused  to 
interfere,  "as  the  aforesaid  Psalms  are  used  by  a  large 
Number  of  the  Congregations  within  the  Bounds  of  the 
Synod,  and  the  Synod  have  allowed  the  use  of  them."^^ 
An  appeal  brought  the  matter  once  more  before  the  reunited 
Synod.  That  body  in  1774  declined  to  decide  the  case  on 
its  merits,  on  the  belated  plea  that  it  had  no  time  to  con- 
sider the  versions  in  question;  but  in  view  of  earlier  per- 
missions to  use  "Dr.  Watts's  imitation,"  refused  "to  make 
any  order  to  forbid  the  congregation  to  continue  the  prac- 
tice now  begun. "®^ 

Thus  once  more  the  matter  of  changing  the  Psalmody 
was  left  to  the  decision  of  the  congregation  concerned,  and 
the  way  was  officially  left  open  both  for  the  forbearance 
which  Synod  earnestly  enjoined,  and  for  the  years  of  bitter 
parochial  strife  which  its  decision  assured.  Meantime,  in 
the  years  preceding  the  Revolution,  the  change  to  Watts 
was  effected  in  some  parishes,  and  in  many  more  the  advo- 
cates of  such  change  were  steadily  increasing  in  number. 

In  many  minds  the  wish  for  improvement  in  the  substance 
of  Praise  must  have  been  accompanied  also  by  a  longing  for 

"J.  Sproat,  Discourse  occasioned  by  the  death  of  George  Whitefield, 
Phila.,  1771- 

*"The  New  Side  Synod  of  N.  Y.  had  recommended  the  disuse  of 
anthems  on  the  Lord's  Day.    Records,  p.  260. 

"Ms.  minutes. 

"Ms.  minutes,  May  21,  1773. 

^''Records,  p.  448. 


i84  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

its  better  rendering.  The  Presbyterian  Psalmody  of  the 
time  appears  to  have  been  as  deplorable  as  that  of  New 
England  before  "regular"  singing  was  introduced.  The 
adhesion  to  "Rous"  carried  with  it  generally  an  exclusive 
regard  for  the  few  "common  tunes"  to  which  that  version 
had  been  sung  in  the  old  country.  The  ability  to  render 
them  with  musical  correctness  had  long  been  lost,  and  the 
universal  practice  was  to  have  the  psalms  lined  out  by  a 
precentor,  who  might  or  might  not  know  the  rudiments  of 
music.  John  Adams,  accustomed  to  the  New  England  im- 
provements, reports  that  even  in  New  York  in  1774,  the 
Psalmody  of  the  "Old  Presbyterian  Society"  is  "in  the  old 
way,  as  we  call  it — all  the  drawling,  quavering,  discord  in 
the  world. "^^  Attending  the  college  chapel  at  Princeton, 
seven  days  later  (August  2^),  he  notes  that  the  scholars 
sing  as  badly  as  the  Presbyterians  at  New  York."^^  It  is 
altogether  unlikely  that  much  better  conditions  prevailed  in 
towns  and  settlements  less  accessible  to  observant  travellers. 
There  had  been,  however,  at  Philadelphia  a  beginning  of 
"the  art  of  psalmody,"  in  which  many  Presbyterians  were 
concerned,  and  as  early  as  1760  a  school  in  which  it  was 
taught.^^  In  1 76 1 -2  James  Lyon,  a  Nassau-Hall  graduate 
of  1759  and  afterwards  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  pub- 
lished by  subscription  the  most  elaborate  book  of  church 
music  that  had  yet  appeared  in  the  colonies : — Urania,  or 
a  choice  Collection  of  Psalm-Tunes,  Anthems,  and  Hymns, 
from  the  most  approv'd  authors,  with  some  entirely  new: 
in  two,  three,  and  four  parts:  the  zvhole  peculiarly  adapted 
to  the  use  of  churches  and  private  families:  to  zuhich  are 
prefi.v'd  the  plainest,  &  most  necessary  rules  of  psalmody. 

^*Works  of  John  Adams,  vol.  ii,  Boston,  1850,  p.  348. 

''Ibid.,  p.  356. 

'"O.  G.  Sonneck,  Francis  Hopkinson  and  James  Lyon,  Washington, 
190S,  p.  127.  As  early  as  1763  there  appeared  at  Philadelphia  from  the 
press  of  Anthony  Armbruster,  Tunes  in  three  parts,  for  the  several 
metres  of  Dr.  IVatts's  version  of  the  Psalms:  some  of  which  tunes 
are  new.  Price  one  shilling  &  sixpence,  stitched.  There  was  a  2nd 
ed.  in  1764. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  185 

By  James  Lyon,  A.B.  (Philadelphia).  Among  the  sub- 
scribers are  many  connected  with  Nassau-Hall,  and 
prominent  Presbyterian  clergy  and  laymen  in  Philadelphia 
and  elsewhere.  It  was  followed  by  The  lazv fulness,  excel- 
lency and  advantage  of  instrumental  musick  in  the  public 
worship  of  God,  urg'd  and  cnforc'd,  from  Scripture,  and  the 
examples  of  the  far  greater  part  of  Christians  in  all  ages. 
Address' d  to  all  {particularly  the  Presbyterians  and  Bap- 
tists) who  have  hitherto  been  taught  to  look  upon  the  use 
of  instrumental  musick  in  the  worship  of  God  as  unlawful. 
By  a  Presbyterian  (Philadelphia,  Wm.  Dunlap,  1763). 
This  Presbyterian  plea  for  the  organ  is  with  a  view  of  im- 
proving the  congregational  singing  in  the  Philadelphia 
churches,  of  which  the  writer  says  that  "the  miserable 
Manner  in  which  this  Part  of  their  Worship  is  dron'd  out, 
seems  rather  to  imitate  the  Braying  of  Asses,  than  the 
divine  Melody  so  often  recommended  in  Scripture."*'^ 

But  the  list  of  subscribers  prefixed  to  some  early  copies 
of  Urania  shows  that  "the  art  of  psalmody"  had  attracted 
the  attention  of  some  influential  men  in  the  Second  Church. 
And,  from  the  young  people's  choir  of  1770  already  re- 
ferred to,  and  the  ensuing  struggle  to  introduce  Watts,  we 
may  infer  that  some  beginning  was  soon  attempted  in  the 
way  of  bettering  church  music  there.  But  any  such  attempt 
there  or  elsewhere  was  effectually  blocked  by  the  Revolu- 
tion. 

"P.  19.  There  is  a  copy  in  The  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society. 
The  pamphlet  appeared  in  April,  and  was  so  readily  bought  that  Dun- 
lap  advertised  a  2nd  ed.  on  June  i6.  In  the  same  month  a  burlesque 
2nd  ed.  was  advertised  as  published  by  Andrew  Steuart,  viz.  A  Cud- 
gell  to  drive  the  Devil  out  of  every  Christian  place  of  worship:  Be- 
ing a  second  edition  {with  necessary  improvements,  which  now  render 
the  sense  entirely  plain)  of  The  lawfulness,  excellency  and  advantage, 
of  instrumental  music,  in  the  public  worship  of  God,  but  chiefly  of 
organs.  (Sonneck,  op.  cif.,  pp.  131,  I3--  Hildeburn,  No.  1883). 
"Presbyterian"  states  that  St.  Paul's  Church,  Philadelphia,  was  "the 
only  English  Congregation  in  the  Province"  having  an  organ  at  that 
time,  though  the  two  other  Episcopal  churches  were  then  raising 
organ  funds  (pp.  28,  30). 


i86  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

In  the  decimated  and  impoverished  congregations  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  Psalmody  was  maintained  with  difficulty. 
The  complaint-^  that  the  services  had  largely  "lost  even  the 
appearance  of  devotion"  may  be  explained  by  the  religious 
apathy  and  irreverence  which  the  Revolution  left  behind  it. 
But  the  fact  that  "many"  did  "not  join  in  singing  the 
praises  of  God"  or  give  their  attention  to  the  singing  in 
progress,  is  partly  at  least  explained  by  the  deplorable  con- 
ditions to  which  the  singing  was  reduced.  If  it  was  so  bad 
musically  before  the  war,  it  was  certainly  no  better  after- 
ward. Samuel  Blair  at  Neshaminy  describes  the  congre- 
gations as  "drolling  out  the  tones  of  ill-measured  dullness, 
or  jarring  with  harsh  discord." 

2,     The  Great  "Psalmody  Controversy" 

From  other  points  of  view  than  the  musical,  there  was 
apparent  need  of  some  reconstruction  of  Presbyterian 
Psalmody.  The  number  of  those  using  or  wishing  to  use 
Watts'  Imitations  and  even  his  hymns,  was  always  grow- 
ing; but,  even  so.  The  Psalms  of  Daznd  imitated  contained 
many  objectionable  allusions  to  the  British  sovereign  and 
state.  On  the  other  hand,  in  almost  every  congregation  in 
the  Scotch  and  Irish  settlements  of  the  South  and  \\^est 
there  was  at  least  a  determined  minority  resisting  change. 
Any  suggestion,  on  the  part  of  the  more  progressive  ele- 
ment, of  Watts'  superiority,  was  enough  to  turn  a  congre- 
gation into  a  debating  society.  Any  effort  to  introduce 
Watts  into  public  worship  was  to  disturb  and  often  to 
convulse  a  parish,  if  not  indeed  a  larger  area. 

It  may  have  been  with  a  hope  of  uniting  the  two  parties 
that  a  proposal  was  made  to  the  Synod  of  1785,  with  a  view 
of  attaining  "the  nearest  uniformity  that  is  practicable," 
that  "the  Synod  choose  out,  and  order  some  of  their  number 
to  take  the  assistance  of  all  the  versions  in  our  power,  and 

^'Preface  to  proposed  Directory  for  Worship,  in  A  Draught  of  the 
Form  of  the  Government  and  Diseipline  of  ike  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  U.  S.  A.,  New  York,  S.  &  J.  Loudon,  1787,  p.  53. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  187 

compose  for  us  a  version  more  suitable  to  our  circumstances 
and  taste  than  any  we  now  have."*^  After  some  debate, 
the  proposal  was  carried  by  a  small  majority.  The  com- 
mittee reported  progress  in  1786,  and  was  continued.  No 
further  report  from  them  is  recorded.  The  minutes  of  the 
Synod  of  1787  contain  the  bare  statement:  "The  Synod  did 
allow  and  do  allow,  that  Dr.  VVatts's  imitation  of  David's 
Psalms,  as  revised  by  Mr.  Barlow,  be  sung  in  the  churches 
and  families  under  their  care."^"  There  is  nothing  in  the 
record  to  connect  this  with  any  previous  action;  but  John 
Black,  who  was  present,  stated  in  a  sermon  at  Marsh- 
Creek  in  1790,''^  that  the  action  was  taken  upon  the  report 
of  the  committee  theretofore  appointed,  to  the  effect,  that 
having  compared  such  versions  as  they  could  obtain,  they 
did  not  apprehend  any  so  well  calculated  for  christian 
worship,  as  that  of  Dr.  Watts,  as  amended  by  Mr.  Barlow 
of  New  England."  He  adds  that  Barlow's  IVatts  "was 
then  laid  before  Synod  for  their  consideration,  who,  after 
mature  deliberation,  gave  it  their  judicial  sanction." 

But  the  unexpected  part  of  Mr.  Black's  testimony  is  what 
follows,  to  the  effect  that  "the  committee  had  also  added  a 
book  of  hymns  to  this  version;  but  it  was  laid  aside;  not 
because  Synod  disapproved  of  the  thing  in  itself,  but  because 
some  parts  of  the  collection  seemed  to  them  exceptionable." 
There  is  no  reason  to  question  his  testimony  as  to  the  pro- 
posed book,  and  his  interpretation  of  the  mind  of  the  Synod 
is  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  its  committee  to  prepare  a  new 
Directory  for  Worship  embodied  hymn  singing  in  their 
draught  of  their  Directory  printed  in  that  same  year.  That 
the  Synod  in  1787  was  already  prepared  to  examine  a 
specific  hymn  book  on  its  merits  goes  far  to  explain  why 
hymn  singing  slipped  into  the  written  constitution  of  the 
Church  with  so  little  debate  or  even  notice.     Even  so,  two 


"Records,  pp.  513,  514,  522. 
"''Ibid.,  p.  535. 

"r/if  duty  of  Christians,  in  singing  the  praise  of  God,  explained. 
A  Sermon.    By  John  Black.    Carlisle,  Kline  &  Reynolds,  1790,  p.  46. 


i88  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

questions  remain  to  puzzle  us.  First:  if  any  hymns  were 
considered  in  1787,  why  not  Watts'  Hymns,  which  were 
not  "exceptionable,"  had  become  dear  to  many,  and  were 
beginning  to  find  their  way  into  churches,  without  authori- 
zation? Second:  what  was  the  "book  of  hymns"  added  by 
the  committee?  It  would  seem  probable  that  it  was  the 
appendix  of  seventy  hymns  (mostly  from  Watts;  a  few 
of  his  own),  which  Barlow  added  to  his  revision  of  Watts' 
Imitations  as  presented  to,  and  adopted  by,  the  General 
Association  of  Connecticut.  Nevertheless  surviving  copies 
of  one  of  the  first  issues  of  Barlozv's  Watts  containing  the 
certificate  of  its  authorization  by  Synod,  and  printed  at 
Philadelphia  in  1787  by  Francis  Bailey,  have,  bound  in  with 
the  psalms  and  bearing  a  separate  title,^^  a  collection  of 
139  hymns,  whose  presence  in  that  connection  has  not  been 
explained.  The  collection  is  of  unusual  excellence  and 
variety  for  that  time,  being  brightened  by  lyrics  of  both 
the  Wesley  brothers.  Miss  Steele  and  others  later  than 
Watts.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  such  men  of  culture  as 
Dr.  Ewing,  Dr.  Robert  Davidson,  and  Dr.  Alison,  were 
on  the  committee,  it  remains  as  an  interesting  possibility 
that  this  collection  is  the  first  tentative  hymn  book  of  Ameri- 
can Presbyterianism. 

The  approval  of  Barlow's  Watts  by  the  Synod  of  1787 
involved  no  change  of  attitude,  except  that  it  gave  finality 
to  a  position  which  heretofore  might  seem  to  be  held  tenta- 
tively. Synod's  action  was  taken  in  full  view  of  the  con- 
troversy then  raging  in  the  South  and  West  between  the 
partisans  of  "Rous"  and  those  of  Watts,  in  the  presence 
indeed  of  representatives  of  both  sides  from  the  disturbed 

'-Hymns  suited  to  the  Christian  worship  in  the  United  States  of 
America.  Philadelphia:  printed  by  Francis  Bailey,  at  Yorick's  Head, 
in  Market  Street.  MDCCLXXXVH.  The  title  of  the  edition  of 
"Barlow's  Watts"  which  it  follows  reads :  Psalms,  carefully  suited  to 
the  Christian  worship  in  the  United  States  of  America.  Being  an 
improvement  of  the  Old  Version  of  the  Psalms  of  David.  Allowed  by 
the  reverend  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  to  be  used  in 
churches  and  private  fam,ilies  (Same  imprint  and  date). 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  189 

Presbytery  of  Abingdon.^^  The  pleas  of  neither  side  moved 
Synod  from  its  position : — it  would  not  commit  the  Church 
to  any  type  of  Psalmody;  it  had  already  approved  both 
"Rous"  and  Watts  for  use  in  worship,  and  approved  both 
still;  any  question  as  to  which  should  be  preferred  in  any 
given  case  was  a  parochial  issue,  to  be  handled  forbearingly 
no  doubt,  but  not  to  be  brought  before  Synod.^-' 

The  issue  between  "Rous"  and  Watts  was  thenceforward, 
then,  merely  a  parochial  issue.  But,  in  the  years  following, 
the  aggregate  of  parishes  affected  by  it  was  so  great,  and 
the  consequences  so  serious,  as  to  make  these  years  of  con- 
troversy something  like  a  distinct  era  in  the  history  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

In  Virginia  the  issue  was  definitely  framed  in  a  fruitless 
appeal  to  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover  to  discipline  the  Rev. 
Charles  Cummings  for  abetting  the  use  of  Watts.  But  Mr. 
Cummings  was  forced  out  of  his  charges  by  the  uneasiness 
of  his  people;  and  the  atmosphere  of  party  feeling  is  re- 
vealed by  the  inquiry  from  some  in  various  congregations 
to  Presbytery  in  1784,  as  to  whether  they  would  be  endan- 
gered by  attending  upon  the  Word  preached  by  Mr.  Cum- 
mings.*^^  In  Tennessee  the  Psalmody  question  played  a 
principal  part  in  the  tumultuous  disorders  in  the  newly 
formed  Presbytery  of  Abingdon,  which  came  before  the 
Synod  of  1787.  In  the  North  Carolina  settlements  every 
proposal  to  introduce  Watts  bred  trouble.  At  New  Provi- 
dence the  use  of  his  Imitations  for  one  Sunday  by  a  pulpit 
supply  (William  C.  Davis)  started  the  suspicion  that  the 
pastor  (James  Wallis)  had  connived  with  him,  and  per- 
manently disrupted  the  church,  the  minority  forming  a 
separate  congregation.^^  At  Poplar  Tent,  where,  about 
1785,  Mr.  Archibald,  the  pastor,  determined  to  introduce 

^^Records,  p.  5i5- 
'Hbid.,  p.  537- 

"'C/.  W.  H.  Foote,  Sketches  of  Virginia,  second  series,  2nd  ed., 
Philadelphia,   1856,  pp.  124,  125. 

•'W.  H.  Foote,  Sketches  of  North  Carolina,  New  York,  1846,  p.  249. 


190  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Watts  upon  his  own  authority,  some  of  the  Rous  party  left 
and  some  stayed  to  interrupt  the  worship.^'^  The  result  of 
the  controversy  in  North  Carolina  was  a  permanent  schism ; 
those  favoring  a  strict  Psalmody  withdrawing  to  form  an 
Associate  Presbytery. 

The  fiercest  heat  attained  in  the  controversy,  and  the 
greatest  devastation  it  left  behind,  were  in  the  new  settle- 
ments of  Kentucky.  Elsewhere  the  Rous  advocates  might 
be  regarded  as  acting  on  the  defensive,  but  in  Kentucky 
their  cause  found  an  aggressive  champion  in  the  person  of 
the  Rev.  Adam  Rankin,  who  came  to  Lexington  in  1784. 
He  sincerely  thought  he  heard  a  divine  call  to  purge  the 
Church  of  the  taint  in  its  Congregational  Song,  and  his 
enthusiasm  for  the  exclusive  use  of  psalms  not  only  pos- 
sessed his  mind  but  perverted  it.  When  he  found  in  1785, 
at  the  Cane  Run  conference  of  the  young  churches,  that 
his  associates  were  not  in  sympathy  with  him  nor  anxious 
to  agitate  a  vexed  question,  he  at  once  entered  upon  a  cam- 
paign of  fierce  and  bitter  polemic,  in  the  role  of  a  prophet 
hurling  epithets  upon  his  opposers.  Censured  by  Presbytery 
for  traducing  his  brethren  and  barring  the  singers  of  Watts 
from  the  Communion,  and  suspended  for  contumacy,  he 
and  his  supporters  withdrew  to  form  what  came  to  be  called 
"the  Rankinite  Schism,"  composed  of  twelve  congregations, 
whose  fortunes  we  need  not  follow. ^^ 

The  Rankin  polemics  and  schism  threw  a  blight  upon 
Kentucky  Presbyterianism  from  which  few  if  any  congre- 
gations escaped.  The  spirit  of  dissension  was  kept  alive  for 
years,  and  in  many  places  Psalmody  became  the  main  issue 
and  concern  of  religion.  Internal  feuds  prevented  attention 
to  the  inroads  of  vice  and  infidelity,  and  the  high  promise 
of  Presbyterianism  lapsed  into  spiritual  and  material  de- 
cline. 

"Ibid.,  p.  442. 

°Tor  the  "Rankin  Schism"  see  R.  Davidson,  History  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  Kentucky,  New  York,  1847,  chap.  3,  and  "Origin  of 
the  Rankinites"  in  Evangelical  Record,  Lexington,  vol.  ii,  Sept.,  1813. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  191 

In  Pennsylvania,  East  and  West,  the  ground  was  laid  for 
the  fire  of  controversy,  but  the  change  to  the  new  Psalmody 
was  made  with  less  disturbance,  because  more  gradually  and 
with  more  of  the  spirit  of  mutual  concession.  In  Philadel- 
phia the  change  was  effected  in  the  Third  Church  unani- 
mously in  1788.^"  In  the  West  the  Presbytery  of  Redstone, 
through  its  entire  career,  kept  its  records  clear  of  any  allu- 
sion to  the  Psalmody  controversy.  Watts'  Imitations,  and 
afterwards  his  Hymns,  found  their  way  into  the  churches 
through  the  homes,  and  frequently  were  used  at  first  in 
rotation  with  "Rous."^°*^  In  some  churches,  even  the  use 
of  the  Imitations  was  postponed,  as  in  the  First  Church  of 
Carlisle,  until  well  into  the  XlXth  century. ^"^ 

3.     Hymn  Singing  Under  the  New  (1788)  "Directory 
FOR  Worship" 

The  real  issue  in  the  Rous-Watts  controversy  was  not 
between  a  literal  or  a  freer  Psalmody,  but  between  an  Old 
Testament  Psalmody  and  an  evangelical  Hymnody.  That 
issue  once  decided,  it  remained  for  the  Church  to  embody 
its  convictions  and  practice  in  the  constitution  then  being 
framed.  This  was  effected  by  Synodical  adoption  of  llie 
Directory  for  the  worship  of  God,  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States  of  America,  on  May  16,  1788. 
Unlike  some  other  parts  of  the  draught  reported  by  the  com- 
mittee of  1787,  its  chapter  "Of  the  Singing  of  Psalms"  was 
adopted  intact.  The  title  of  the  chapter  is  still  that  of  the 
corresponding  chapter  of  the  Westminster  Directory  of 
1644,  but  where  the  opening  sentence  of  the  original  had 
declared  "the  duty  of  Christians  to  praise  God  publiquely 
by  singing  of  Psalms,"  the  new  Directory  asserts  that  such 
duty  is  to  be  fulfilled  "by  singing  psalms  or  hymns."     The 

**J.  W.  Scott,  An  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Pine  Street,  or  Third 
Pres.  Church,  Philadelphia,  1837,  p.  31. 

""Jos.  Smith,  Old  Redstone,  Philadelphia,  1854,  p.  290. 

'"'C.  P.  Wing,  History  of  the  First  Pres.  Ch.  of  Carlisle,  Carlisle, 
1877,  p.  167.     Watts  was  not  used  till  1824. 


192  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

other  changes  deal  with  the  propriety  of  cultivating  a 
knowledge  of  music,  of  giving  up  the  practice  of  lining, 
and  of  devoting  more  time  to  "this  excellent  part  of  divine 
service"  than  was  usual. 

The  cultivation  of  music  thus  enjoined  began  at  once  in 
some  churches,  in  others  had  already  begun  under  the 
numerous  "Instructors  of  Psalmody"  raised  up  under  the 
impulse  imparted  by  Billings,  especially  Andrew  Law  of 
Connecticut.  These  teachers  w^ent  from  place  to  place, 
establishing  "Psalmody  classes."  In  the  region  around 
Philadelphia,  the  Presbyterian  churches  shared  in  a  gen- 
eraP*^^  movement  to  improve  sacred  music,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Andrew  Adgate.  He  founded  there  in  1784  an 
"Institution  for  Promoting  the  Knowledge  of  Psalmody," 
afterwards  the  "Uranian  Academy."^"^  In  1787  he  was 
preparing  to  establish  "an  Institution  for  Cultivating 
Church  Music  free  to  all."^^^  Samuel  Blair  paid  tribute 
to  his  benevolence,  assiduity  and  success,  and  rejoiced  in 
the  great  improvement  he  had  effected,  saying  that  "Public 
worship  hath  assumed,  comparatively,  a  celestial  grace; 
and  the  temples  of  religion,  .  .  .  now  resound  with  vibra- 
tions of  well-ordered  and  commanding  melody."^*^^  Mr. 
Blair's  wish  that  Adgate's  "important  services"  may  con- 
tinue with  the  encouragement  of  all  denominations"^'"^  was 
thwarted  by  his  falling  a  victim  to  the  yellow  fever  epidemic 
of  1793,  while  serving  on  the  Committee  of  Alleviation. ^^^^ 

This  movement  to  improve  singing  was  inevitably  a  move- 

"'Saml.  Blair,  Discourse  (1789),  P-  25,  note. 

""Sonneck,  op.  cit.,  pp.  183,  184. 

'"■•Preface  to  his  Psalms  and  Hymns. 

'"M  Discourse  on  Psalmody.  Delivered  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Blair, 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Neshaminy,  at  a  public  concert,  given 
by  Mr.  Spicer,  Master  in  sacred  music:  under  the  superintendency  of 
Mr.  Erwin,  Pastor  of  that  Church  (Philadelphia,  John  McColloch, 
1789).  This  scarce  pamphlet  is  the  principal  evidence  of  the  Presby- 
terian participation  in  the  Adgate  movement,  and  w^as  published  "to 
enliven  and  diffuse  the  spirit  of  improvement  in  Psalmody"  (preface). 

^'^Ibid.,  p.  25,  note. 

^"''Minutes  of  the  Committee,  Philadelphia,  1848,  pp.  45,  200. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  193 

nient  toward  the  use  of  Watts  or  of  other  hymns.  The 
monotony  of  metre  and  rude  rhythms  of  "Rous'  version" 
would  not  serve  the  purpose  of  the  "masters  in  sacred 
music."  That  is  why,  in  so  many  parish  records,  the  giving 
up  of  lining  and  the  adoption  of  Watts  are  recorded  as  a 
single  entry. ^"^  Copies  have  survived  of  Select  Psalms  and 
Hymns  for  the  use  of  Mr.  Adgate's  pupils:  and  proper  for 
all  singing-schools.  Philadelphia:  Printed  at  the  Uranian 
Press,  by  Young  and  M'Culloch,  Corner  of  Chestnut  & 
Second  Street.  MDCCLXXXVII.  The  forty  hymns  were 
chosen  from  Watts,  Wesley,  Steele  and  others,  aiming  at 
metrical  variety.  Adgate  and  his  colleague,  "Mr.  Spicer," 
had  also  their  own  music  books :  the  Uranian  Instructions 
of  1787,  Rudiments  of  Music  (1788),  Selection  of  Sacred 
Harmony  (1788),  Philadelphia  Harmony  (1788);  all 
originally  Adgate's,  and  sometimes,  in  later  editions,  car- 
ried forward  by  Spicer.  The  Art  of  Singing,  and  other 
works  of  Andrew  Law,  also  played  a  considerable  part  in 
the  improvement  of  Presbyterian  singing. 

No  immediate  steps  were  taken  by  the  General  Assembly 
in  providing  the  hymns  to  be  sung  under  the  new  Directory. 
In  the  minds  of  many,  "Hymns"  and  "Watts"  were  synony- 
mous. The  use  of  the  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  was  not 
formally  authorized  until  1802  ;  but  at  least  as  early  as  1788 
editions  of  Barlow's  Watts,  bearing  the  clerk's  certificate 
of  Synod's  authorization,  appeared  with  the  Hymns  bound 
in.  Evidently  some  churches  did  not  await  their  authoriza- 
tion. Watts'  Hymns  may  be  called  the  first  hymn  book 
of  American  Presbyterianism,  disregarding  the  proposed 
book  of  1787.  The  second  was  an  independent  local  ven- 
ture, with  two  title  pages  :  A  Version  of  the  Book  of  Psalms, 
selected  from  the  most  approved  I'ersions.  .  .  .  Approved 
of  by  the  Presbytery  of  Charleston:  and  A  Collection  of 
Hymns  for  public  and  private  ivorship.  Approved  of  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Charleston,  (both)  Charleston,  Printed  by 

'"'E.  g.  in  the  Third  Church  of  Philadelphia,  Sept.  29,  1788. 


194  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

/.  Mclver,  No.  47,  Bay,  MDCCXCVI.  This  book  was  pre- 
pared by  Dr.  George  Buist  of  Charleston  with  the  advice 
of  Dr.  Hugh  Blair.^^^  The  hymns  are  from  many 
sources,  including  the  English  Arian  hymn  books,  and  with 
a  preference  for  the  Scottish  Paraphrases.  The  book  was 
used  by  the  Presbyterian  churches  in  the  city  and  neighbor- 
hood of  Charleston  until  at  least  1809.^^*^ 

What  must  be  regarded  as  the  third  Presbyterian  hymn 
book  was  the  small  collection  annexed  by  President  Dwight 
to  his  revision  of  Watts'  Imitations  for  the  Connecticut 
Association,  to  take  the  place  of  Barlow's;  inasmuch  as 
these  hymns  were  specifically  allowed  by  the  General  As- 
sembly of  1802,  in  connection  with  the  revised  Psalms,  and 
at  the  same  time  as  the  allowance  of  Watts'  Hymns.^^^  The 
Assembly  had  cooperated  in  securing  Dwight's  revision  of 
the  Imitations,  as  it  had  cooperated  with  other  projects  of 
the  Connecticut  Association;  but  apparently  without  shar- 
ing the  prejudice  aroused  by  Barlow  and  without  much 
interest  in  the  results  of  Dr.  Dwight's  labors.  And  in  the 
end  it  appears  to  have  been  satisfied  that  churches  under 
Connecticut  influence,  or  which  preferred  Dwight  to  Bar- 
low, should  rnake  use  both  of  his  revised  Imitations  and  his 
collection  of  hymns.^'^ 

The  great  body  of  the  Church  had  no  apparent  desire  for 
a  hymn  book  of  their  own.  As  early  as  1796  the  Assembly 
was  overtured  to  appoint  a  committee  to  compile  one,  but 
the  proposal  was  allowed  to  lie  on  the  table. ^^^  In  18 17  the 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  sent  up  to  the  Assembly  for  its 
approbation  "a  copy  of  a  collection  of  Hymns,  intended 
for  the  use  of  society  meetings;  the  Presbytery  having 
declined  to  express  their  opinion  of  the  book,  thinking  it 

""Preface. 

^'^"Sermons  by  the  Reverend  George  Buist,  D.D.,  New  York,  1809, 
vol.  i,  pp.  311,  312,  note. 

^"Minutes  1789-1820,  p.  249. 

"'On  this  subject  see  the  writer's  "The  American  Revisions  of 
Watts's  Psalms,"  already  cited,  pp.  25-26. 

"^Minutes,  ut  supra,  p.  116. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  195 

proper  that  it  should  be  submitted  to  the  Assembly.""^ 
This  was  presumably  Hymns  for  social  worship,  collected 
from  various  authors  (Philadelphia:  W.  W.  Woodward, 
1817),  the  work  of  James  P.  Wilson,  pastor  of  the  First 
Church  of  Philadelphia.  It  contained  181  hymns,  and  in 
intent  and  contents  ranges  with  the  "Supplements  to 
Watts."  After  reference  to  a  committee,  the  consideration 
of  the  book  was  indefinitely  postponed.^^^  No  further 
attempt  was  made  to  prepare  a  hymn  book  for  the  special 
use  of  the  Church  till  the  proceedings  that  culminated  in 
the  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  1831. 

In  recognizing  hymn  singing  in  its  constitution  the 
Church  was  far  from  the  intention  of  cutting  itself  off 
from  psalm  singing.  It  approved,  rather.  Dr.  Watts' 
System  of  Praise  as  a  whole,  with  its  two  departments  of 
Psalms  and  Hymns.  Nor  did  the  desire  for  an  evangelical 
Hymnody  among  the  people  imply  dissatisfaction  with 
Watts'  Imitations.  Probably  no  parish  introduced  his 
Hymns  apart  from  the  Psalms :  some  had  them  bound  up 
with  Barlow's  Revision  from  the  first :  many  remained 
satisfied  with  the  revised  Psalms  alone.  The  use  of  Bar- 
low's Watts  became  so  widespread  as  to  make  it  the 
characteristic  praise  book  of  Presbyterianism,  and  the  addi- 
tion to  it  of  the  Hymns  became  a  more  and  more  common 
practice  till  toward  the  end  of  the  first  quarter  of  the  XlXth 
century,  when  it  may  be  regarded  as  practically  universal. 
Hindered  as  it  was  by  the  Scottish  predilection  for  an  Old 
Testament  Psalmody,  the  Presbyterian  Church  was  slower 
than  some  others  in  attaining  the  full  measure  of  Dr.  Watts' 
System  of  Praise,  but  perhaps  in  no  Church  did  his  ascend- 
ency become  more  complete.  It  was  a  result  so  belated  that, 
when  viewed  in  connection  with  the  progress  of  English 
Hymnody  as  a  whole,  it  seems  like  a  step  backward.  A 
full  century  had  passed  since  the  first  appearance  of  Watts' 
Hymns.    The  area  of  Hymnody  had  been  widened  perma- 

^^*Ibid.,  p.  641. 
"76»d.,  p.  667. 


196  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

nently  under  the  Evangelical  Revival,  and  its  contents 
greatly  enriched  not  only  by  fresh  hymns  but  by  new  types 
of  hymns.  During  the  first  quarter  of  the  XlXth  century 
the  only  apparent  contact  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  with 
this  newer  Hymnody  was  through  the  proffer  of  Dr. 
Wilson's  little  book  of  1817;^^°  its  only  dealing  with  it  was 
to  "postpone  indefinitely." 

HI.     The  Baptists  (1754-1827) 

I.     Their  Gradual  Adoption  of  Watts'  "Psalms  and 
Hymns" 

li  the  earliest  New  England  Baptists  practised  psalm 
singing  at  all,  they  probably,  like  their  neighbors,  lined  the 
psalms  out  of  The  Bay  Psalm  Book.  But  the  Baptist  immi- 
grants had  come  out  of  the  heated  atmosphere  of  the  "con- 
troversie  of  Singing,"  and  many  of  them  during  the  years 
when  persecution  had  favored  the  habit  of  not  singing,  lest 
attention  be  attracted  to  the  meetings. 

The  First  Church  of  Boston  introduced  singing  before 
1728,  lining  the  psalms  until  1759;^^'^  the  Newport  church 
during  the  short  pastorate  of  John  Cromer,  beginning 
in  1726.^^^  In  the  First  Church  of  Providence  there  was 
no  singing  till  the  coming  of  President  Manning  in  1771. 
Even  then  its  introduction  was  only  accomplished  by  allow- 
ing the  women  to  vote  for  it,  and  caused  a  division.  ^^^ 

In  the  Middle  Colonies  and  to  some  extent  in  the  South- 
ern, the  introduction  of  singing  into  Baptist  churches  was 
effected  through  the  influence  of  a  body  of  Welsh  Baptists 

""Even  Dr.  Wilson  did  not  know  that  his  176th  hymn,  "Jesus !  lover 
of  my  soul,"  w^as  by  one  of  the  Wesleys. 

"'N.  E.  Wood,  History  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Boston, 
Philadelphia,  1899,  pp.  220,  243. 

"*A.  H.  Newman,  History  of  the  Baptist  Churches  in  the  United 
States,  ed.,  Philada.,  1898,  p.  115. 

"^R.  A.  Guild,  History  of  Brown  University,  Boston,  1867,  pp. 
207-210. 


"RENOVATION   OF   PSALMODY"  197 

settled  on  the  Welsh  Tract  in  Delaware.-     They  adopted 
"  7.6  an  English  Confession  of  Faith  of  .689>ut  w.th 
he  addition  of  two  articles  from  a  confess.on  pubhshed  by 
Benjannn  Keach  and  his  son  Elias  in  1697,  one  bemg  on  the 
duty  "Of  Singing  Psalms,  &c."'-     The  mcrease  of  m  nn- 
graLn  soon  made  Philadelphia  a  Baptist  cemre.  and  „, 
T74,  the  Philadelphia  Association  ordered  the  prmtmg  of 
a  ne'w  edition  of  the  Confession  of  1689  as  their  own,  -- 
with  the  insertion  of  two  articles,  one  on  the  smgmg  of 
Psalms  -  the  other  on  laying  on  of  hands  upon  baptized 
believe;s.     These  articles,  thus  incorporated  in  the.r  doc- 
^alstatement,  prove  to  be  identical  with  those  of  Keach 
as  already  adopted  by  the  church  on  the  Welsh  Tract  m 

'^Thc'Bay  Psalm  Book  was  probably  in  use  in  and  arovmd 
Phladelphia  as  well  as  in  New  England.  In  Boston  the 
First  Church  changed  to  Tate  and  Brady  m  174°.  -  l°"g 
as  no  obiection  should  be  offered  against  ,t  :-  he  Bald- 
win Place  Church  sang  Tate  and  Brady  till  about  I//O. 
Id  it  may  be  that  some  Baptist  demand  in  -d  around 
Philadelphia  helped  to  encourage  Franklin  to  reprint  that 

T  ArlTerS  as  in  England  Baptists  were  not  greatly  con- 
cerned to  preserve  a  strict  Psalmody,  owing  partly  to  the 
de"re  for  sacramental  hymns.    When  the  "controversie  of 

-Morgan  Edwards,  MaUrials  toward  a  kistor,  of  the  BaplUts  in 
"■W.   J.    McGlothlin,    BafUst    Confessions    of    fatm.    rni        v 

''''-MiLTof    me    PHUamHia    Baptist    Association,    ,70;-.»07. 

™^S;;S'.?./t  me.  with  some  opposuion,  especially  a.  Coiiansey : 

fnet  at  Philadelphia,  Sept.  25,  1742.  •;•■"'  .   P.nlms    in 

Articles  via  Of  Imposiiion  of  Hands,  and  Singing  of  ^•^«"^,'" 
^Mick  Worship:   Philadelphia,  B.  Franklin,  ms;  often  reprmted. 

^^»N.  E.  Wood,  op.  cit.,  p.  -'20. 

"'D.  C.  Eddy,  Memorial  Sermon,  Boston,  1805,  p.  30. 


198  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Singing"  was  disposed  of,  the  introduction  of  hymns  hardly 
raised  an  issue. 

But  the  Great  Awakening  was  less  immediately  effective 
in  modifying  the  practice  of  the  Baptist  churches  of  New 
England  than  of  the  Congregational.  The  Baptist  churches 
had  largely  lapsed  into  a  cold  "Arminianism,"  and  held 
aloof  from  the  earlier  stages  of  the  Revival,  partly  because 
they  regarded  it  as  a  Calvinistic  movement,  and  partly  from 
a  sense  of  isolation  from  their  neighbors.  The  Revival  had 
first  to  create  "New  Light"  churches,  and  to  modify  the 
theology  and  the  spirit  of  the  old  churches  before  the  evan- 
gelical Psalms  and  Hymns  of  Watts  could  commend  them- 
selves to  New  England  Baptists. 

In  the  churches  centering  at  Philadelphia  the  atmosphere 
was  different,  and  the  way  more  prepared  by  the  evangelical 
Calvinism  already  prevailing  in  them.  Franklin's  reprints 
of  The  Psalms  imitated  in  1741  and  of  the  Hymns  in  1742 
were  probably  used  in  some  of  them  about  Philadelphia.  In 
Boston,  Tate  and  Brady  was  not  displaced  by  Watts'  Psalms 
and  Hymns  till  after  1770  in  the  Baldwin  Place  Church,^^^ 
and  in  1771  in  the  First  Church.  ^^'^  Their  adoption  became 
ultimately  very  widespread,  and  they  rooted  themselves  deep 
in  the  hearts  of  a  great  body  of  Baptists. 

2,     Obstacles  to  Watts'  Ascendency 

But  several  considerations  tended  to  impede  to  some 
extent  the  ascendency  of  Watts  in  American  Baptist 
Hymnody. 

There  was,  first,  the  tendency  to  establish  a  denomina- 
tional Hymnody,  especially  to  supply  hymns  suitable  to 
"believers'  baptism."  Morgan  Edwards  has  preserved  the 
hymn  that  had  been  used  at  the  "Baptisterion"  on  the  banks 
of  the  Schuylkill,  just  beyond  Philadelphia.^^®    The  earliest 

"'D.  C.  Eddy,  op.  cit.,  p.  30. 
"'N.  E.  Wood,  op.  cit.,  p.  266. 

^"^^ Materials  towards  a  history  of  the  Baptists  in  Pennsylvania,  vol. 
i,  Philada.,  J.  Crukshank,  1770,  pp.  131,  132. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  199 

American  Baptist  hymn  book,  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs, 
collected  from  the  works  of  several  authors  (Newport, 
1766),  opens  with  sixteen  hymns  on  Baptism.  And  so,  in 
1808,  after  the  appearance  of  many  books,  the  anonymous 
The  Boston  Collection  of  sacred  and  devotional  Hymns 
"was  compiled  principally  with  a  view  to  accommodate  the 
Baptist  Churches  of  Boston  and  its  vicinity,  who  have  long 
desired  such  a  collection,  for  the  purpose  of  singing  at  the 
administration  of"  Baptism. 

From  the  first,  however,  the  desire  of  many  went  beyond 
baptismal  hymns.  They  wanted  Baptist  hymn  books,  that 
should  make  available  the  new  store  of  hymns,  Baptist  and 
other,  written  since  Watts'  time  and  made  current  in  Eng- 
lish collections ;  and  many  were  moved  to  contribute  hymns 
of  their  own  composition.  The  independent  and  individual- 
istic spirit  combined  with  denominational  insistence,  that 
has  always  characterized  Baptists,  developed  and  has  main- 
tained a  striking  proclivity  toward  the  multiplication  of 
hymn  books.  The  great  array  of  these  tends  to  obscure  the 
actual  extent  of  the  use  of  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  in 
Baptist  congregations. 

The  Newport  book  was  followed  by  two  at  Philadelphia : 
A- choice  Collection  of  Hymns,  in  which  are  some  never 
before  printed.  Philadelphia:  printed  in  the  year  1782,'^^^ 
and  A  choice  Collection  of  Hymns,  from  various  authors, 
adapted  to  publick  zvorship:  designed  for  the  edification  of 
the  pious  of  all  denominations;  hut  more  particidarly  for 
the  use  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Philadelphia  (Enoch  Story, 
1784).  Both  of  these  appear  to  have  been  prepared  for  his 
following  of  "Universal  Baptists"  by  Elhanan  Winchester, 
after  his  exclusion  from  the  pulpit  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church.  The  latter  is  said  to  have  been  used  in  the  Church 
of  the  German  Baptist  Brethren  (Dunkers)  already  formed 
at  Germantown.^^^     It  certainly  furnished  much  of  the  ma- 

''"Not  in  Hildeburn's  Issues  of  the  Pennsylvania  Press.    The  writ- 
er's copy  is  recorded  by  Evans. 
"^Ms.  note  in  the  writer's  coffy. 


200  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

terials  of  the  Brethren's  first  EngHsh  hymn  book,  The 
Christians  Duty,  printed  in  1791.^^- 

In  1788  the  Philadelphia  Association  determined  to  have 
an  official  book  for  the  associated  churches. ^^^  It  appeared 
as  A  Selection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns,  done  under  the  ap- 
pointment of  the  Philadelphian  Association.  By  Samuel 
Jones,  D.D.  and  Burgis  Allison,  A.M.  (Philadelphia,  R. 
Aitken  &  Son,  1790 :  2nd  ed.,  1801 ;  4th,  1819) .  The  psalms 
were  all  from  Watts:  most  of  the  hymns  from  Rippon's 
Selection  (London,  1786)  and  one  "printed  in  London, 
1774" ;  apparently  Conyers'.  The  book  was  highly  regarded 
within  and  beyond  the  Association.  Hymns  on  different 
spiritual  subjects  (Norwich,  1792)  by  Benjamin  Cleve- 
land,^^^  as  also  the  later  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  on 
various  subjects.  By  the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Jayne  (Morristown, 
1809),  were  offerings  of  original  contributions,  of  which 
Cleveland's  hymn,  "Oh,  could  I  find  from  day  to  day,"  alone 
survived. 

John  Stanford,  lately  come  from  England  to  New  York, 
prepared  A  Collection  of  evangelical  Hymns  (T.  and  J. 
Swords,  1792)  for  the  use  of  the  congregation  gathered  in 
his  school  room.  It  included  selections  not  only  from 
Watts  but  from  the  best  English  hymn  writers  of  the  time. 
And  John  Asplund,  lately  come  from  Sweden,  and  still 
remembered  by  his  Baptist  Register,  was  responsible  for  an 
American  reprint  of  Richard  Burnham's  New  Hymns 
(Thomas  Hall,  Boston,  1796).  The  outspoken  Calvinism 
of  these  hymns  was  perhaps  the  reason  for  their  reprinting. 

It  is  likely  that  many  of  the  Baptist  hymn  books  were 
not  intended  to  replace  Watts  in  church  worship :  a  number 
bore  on  their  title-pages  the  assurance  that  they  were  only 
supplements  to  his  Psalms  and  Hymns.  Of  these  the  most 
popular,  here  as  in  England,  was  Rippon's  Selection.    Two 

"'See  chap,  viii,  II,  2,   (2). 
^^Minutes,  p.  239. 

"*C/.  H.  S.  Burrage,  Baptist  Hymn  Writers  and  their  Hymns,  Port- 
land, Ale.,  n.  d.,  pp.  222,,  641. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  201 

reprints  of  it  appeared  in  1792,  at  New  York  and  Elizabeth, 
and  were  followed  by  others,  in  various  places.  A  Selection 
of  cz'angclical  Hymns  supplementary  to  Doctor  Rippon 
(Burlington,  N.  J.:  S.  C.  Ustic)  appeared  in  1807:  and  a 
further  attempt  to  enrich  his  Selection  was  made  by  Dr. 
William  Staughton  in  an  edition  to  which  he  added  An 
Appendix,  from  the  Olney  Hymns,  with  additional  Hymns, 
original^^^  and  selected  (Philadelphia:  W.  W.  Woodward, 
1813;  rev.  and  corn,  1827). 

In  a  more  independent  spirit  William  Parkinson,  of  the 
First  Church  in  New  York,  published  in  1809  A  Selection 
of  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  .  .  .  as  an  Appendix  to 
Dr.  Watts's  Psalms  and  Hymns,  which,  he  says  in  his 
preface,  "in  most  congregations  of  Christians  are  constantly 
used."  William  Collier's  A  new  Selection  of  Hymns  (Bos- 
ton, 1812),  was  also  a  supplement  to  Watts.  That  such 
books  were  actually  used  in  connection  with  Watts  appears 
from  the  preface  of  Daniel  Dodge's  A  Selection  of  Hymns 
and  Psalms  (Wilmington,  1808),  an  effort  to  combine  the 
best  from  Watts  and  Rippon  for  the  convenience  of  those 
who  found  it  burdensome  to  carry  both  books  to  church, 
but  could  not  agree  to  dispense  with  either;  "some  being 
passionately  fond  of  one  and  some  of  the  other."  A  later 
book,  Thomas  B.  Ripley's  A  Selection  of  Hymns  for  Con- 
ference and  Prayer  Meetings  (Portland,  Me.,  182 1  :  2nd  ed., 
Bangor,  1831)  also  called  itself  a  Supplement  to  Watts. 

A  second  consideration  tending  to  impede  the  ascendency 
of  Watts  was  the  preference  of  a  considerable  proportion 
of  Baptist  people  for  songs  of  a  lower  literary  grade.  The 
strength  of  the  Church  was  among  the  uncultured;  its  exten- 
sion was  by  means  of  evangelistic  methods.  "The  mass  of 
the  Baptists  were  indifferent  or  hostile  to  ministerial  educa- 
tion." They  craved  highly  emotional  preaching  and  songs 
of  the  same  type  in  free  rhythms  that  could  be  sung  to 
popular  melodies  with  choruses. 

""Staughton  had  printed  a  volume  of  Juvenile  Poems,  and  wrote 
many  hymns  in  a  style  no  longer  in  vogue. 


202  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

This  showed  itself  as  early  as  1784^^^  in  the  Divine 
Hymns,  or  Spiritual  Songs  (Norwich)  of  Joshua  Smith, 
a  New  Hampshire  layman,  and  others,  which  gave  currency 
to  the  hymn  on  "Christ  the  Appletree,"^^^  and  made  odd 
additions  to  other  hymns.  This  book  in  varying  forms^^^ 
was  very  popular.  Its  1803  edition  was  the  first  hymn  book 
used  in  the  First  Church  of  Portland,  Maine.^^^  "Spiritual 
songs"  appeared  in  most  Baptist  hymn  books.  John  Court- 
ney's The  Christian's  Pocket  Companion  (Richmond,  1805  : 
rev.  ed.,  183 1)  contained  "one  hundred  and  seventy-eight 
pages  of"  them.    They  were  sung  also  without  book. 

"This  kind  of  composition,"  says  Mr.  Parkinson  in  1809, 
"has,  for  several  years  past  been  greatly  abused — Songs 
have  been  circulated,  not  only  in  Ms.  but  also  in  print, 
which  have  been  so  barbarous  in  language,  so  unequal  in 
numbers,  and  so  defective  in  rhyme,  as  to  excite  disgust  in 
all  persons  even  of  tolerable  understanding  in  these  things; 
what  is  infinitely  worse,  so  extremely  unsound  in  doctrine, 
that  no  discerning  Christian  can  sing  or  hear  them  without 
pain."  Believing  that  "many  of  them,  notwithstanding, 
contain  valuable  ideas,"  Mr.  Parkinson  aimed  to  "lessen 
the  use  of  several  hymn  books  now  in  common  circulation" 
by  furnishing  "those  who  choose  to  make  use  of  them 
with  a  greater  variety  and  more  correct  edition  of  what 
are  called  Spiritual  Songs  than  they  now  possess." ^^"^  We 
may  judge  existing  conditions  by  the  character  of  some 
of  the  170  songs  appended  to  Parkinson's  Selection  with 
a  view  of  ameliorating  them.     In  the  first  Newton's  un- 

^*Brinley  catalogue,  lot  6038. 

^*^The  first  stanza  of  this  hymn  ran    (ed.  I794)  : — 
"The  tree  of  life,  my  soul  hath  seen, 
Laden  with  fruit,  and  always  green; 
The  trees  of  nature  fruitless  be, 
Compar'd   with   Christ   the   Appletree." 

"Tor   some   of   the  known   editions,   see   W.   DeL.   Love,   Samson 
Occunt,  Boston,  n.  d.,  p.  180,  note. 
"^Burrage,  op.  cit.,  p.  643. 
""Preface  to  Parkinson's  Selection,  1809. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  203 

fortunate  lines  are  altered  to  serve  as  a  refrain  after  each 
stanza : — 

"Then  be  entreated  now  to  stop 
For  unless  you  warning  take, 
Ere  you  are  aware  you'll  drop 
Into  the  burning  lake." 

The  third  is  "A  Dream"  of  Judgment  Day.  The  fifth  is 
entitled  "Miss  Hataway's  Experience"  and  includes  her  con- 
versation with  "an  uncle  from  whom  she  had  large  expecta- 
tions." The  fifteenth  begins,  "Ye  scarlet-colour'd  sinners, 
come." 

Parkinson's  Selection  had  reached  a  third  edition  in  181 7, 
and  Southern  Baptists  had  called  for  three  editions  of  Jesse 
Mercer's  The  Cluster  of  Spiritual  Songs,  Divine  Hymns  and 
social  Poems:  being  chiefly  a  collection  (Augusta,  Ga.). 

By  this  time  the  new  zeal  for  missions  was  developing  a 
demand  for  an  educated  ministry,  and  drawing  a  sharp  line 
of  cleavage  between  its  advocates  and  the  "anti-effort" 
Baptists.  In  the  Hymnody  the  line  was  not  so  sharply 
drawn,  but  as  a  rule  the  less  educated  congregations,  espe- 
cially in  the  South,  carried  forward  the  use  of  "Spiritual 
Songs."  An  especial  favorite  was  Starke  Dupuy's  Hymns 
and  Spiritual  Songs,  selected  and  original  (Louisville,  c. 
1818:  22nd  ed.,  1841 ;  revised  by  J.  M.  Peck,  1843),  emo- 
tional and  often  illiterate.  Even  in  New  England  David 
Benedict's  The  Pawtucket  Collection  of  Conference  Hymns 
(1817)  reached  an  eighth  edition  (1843).  I"  Kentucky 
Absolom  Graves'  Hymns,  Psalms  and  Spiritual  Songs  (with 
III  of  the  latter),  appearing  in  1825,  reached  a  second 
edition  in  1829.  In  Virginia  Andrew  Broadus  published 
in  1828  his  Dover  Selection  of  Spiritual  Songs  by  recom- 
mendation of  the  Dover  Association,  but  in  his  better 
Virginia  Selection  of  1836  the  "spiritual  song"  element  is 
apologized  for  as  an  allowance  made  for  "popular  liking." 
William  Dossey's  The  Choice;  in  two  parts  (3rd  ed.,  1830) 
was  largely  used  in  the  South,  and  included  over  a  hundred 
of  his  own  hymns. 


204  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

There  were,  on  the  other  hand,  many  Baptist  churches, 
especially  in  the  North  and  East,^^^  which  had  yielded  very 
partially  or  not  at  all  to  "popular  liking,"  and  had  never 
given  up  the  use  of  W^atts'  Psalms  and  Hymns.  But  their 
pastors  had  required  hymns  to  supplement  Watts,  and  the 
people  complained  of  the  inconvenience  of  using  more  than 
one  book  and  the  difficulty  of  finding  the  hymns  as  given 
out.  This  led  to  something  like  a  concerted  effort  to  con- 
serve the  better  type  of  Baptist  Hymnody.  James  M. 
Winchell,  who  had  developed  congregational  song  in  his 
First  Church  of  Boston,^^-  published  there  in  1818  An 
arrangement  of  the  Psalms,  Hymns,  and  Spiritual  Songs 
of  .  .  .  Watts,  to  zvhich  are  added,  indexes  .  .  .  to 
facilitate  the  use  of  the  whole  .  .  .  ,  with  which  was  bound 
up  A  Selection  of  more  than  three  hundred  Hymns,  from 
the  most  approved  authors  (1819).  "Winchell's  Watts" 
attained,  and  for  many  years  held,  in  New  England  a  use 
so  wide  that  it  has  been  described  as  "universal." ^'*^  In 
1820  the  same  office  was  performed  for  the  churches  center- 
ing at  Philadelphia  by  The  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  Dr. 
^  Watts,  arranged  by  Dr.  Rippon;  with  Dr.  Rippon's  Selection 

in  one  volume.  An  improved  edition  appeared  in  1827,  and 
was  commended  to  the  churches  by  a  large  number  of 
ministers  as  the  best  hymn  book  "in  use  among  Chris- 
tians."^^"* In  the  copies  of  this  edition  a  portrait  of  Dr. 
\\'atts  was  not  unfitly  prefixed. 

'"Samuel  Holyoke  published  in  1804  The  Christian  Harmonist: 
containing  a  set  of  tunes  adapted  to  all  the  metres  in  Mr.  Rippon's 
Selection  of  Hymns,  in  the  Collection  of  Hymns  by  Mr.  Joshua  Smith, 
and  in  Dr.  IVatts's  Psalms  and  Hymns  (Salem).  It  was  "designed  for 
the  use  of  the  Baptist  churches  in  the  United  States";  and  the  three 
books  named  are  plainly  those  in  most  general  use  in  the  class  of 
churches  which  Air.  Holyoke  regarded  as  likely  to  patronize  his 
enterprise. 

'*^C/.  R.  H.  Neale,  Address  at  200th  Anniversary  of  First  Baptist 
Church,  Boston,  1865,  p.  38. 

"^Neale,  ut  supra. 

^**Cf.  "recommendations"  preserved  in  Sommers  and  Dagg's  ed., 
Phila.,  D.  Clark,  1838. 


"RENOVATIOX   OP^  PSALMODY"  205 

V 
HIS  INFLUENCE  UPON  THE  ENGLISH  HYxMN 

In  attempting  now  to  estimate  the  place  of  Dr.  Watts  in 
the  history  of  the  EngHsh  Hymn,  it  is  convenient  to  dis- 
tinguish the  bearings  of  his  work  and  influence  upon  the 
development  of  the  Hymn  itself,  upon  the  production  of 
hymns,  and  upon  hymn  singing. 

As  to  the  Hymn.  Watts  undertook  to  construct  Congre- 
gational Song  dc  novo.  He  offered  his  System  of  Praise 
to  the  churches  as  a  substitute  for  all  that  they  had  been 
accustomed  to  sing;  and  as  such  it  came  to  be  received  in 
its  full  scope  and  entirety  by  vast  numbers  of  people  to 
whom  the  old  Psalmody,  or  the  earlier  Hymnody,  became 
as  though  they  had  never  been.  Even  to  historians  of  Eng- 
lish Hymnody  the  work  of  Watts  has  bulked  so  large  as  to 
throw  a  deep  shadow  of  obscurity  over  all  his  predecessors. 
Thus  Montgomery  makes  the  oft-quoted  remark  that 
"Watts  may  almost  be  called  the  inventor  of  hymns  in  our 
language" ;  regarding  him  as  so  far  departing  from  all  prec- 
edent, "that  few  of  his  compositions  resemble  those  of  his 
forerunners,"  and  as  establishing  a  precedent  to  all  his 
successors. ^^^  Again,  Mr.  Horder  in  his  Hymn  Lover^^^ 
calls  Watts  "the  real  founder  of  English  Hymnody,"  and 
claims  that  "what  Ambrose  was  to  the  Latins;  what  Clement 
Marot  was  to  the  French ;  what  Luther  was  to  the  Germans ; 
that,  and  perhaps  more,  was  Watts  to  the  English."  Z' 

It  is  difficult  to  regard  Watts,  as  Montgomery  does,  as 
altogether  or  almost  the  inventor  of  English  hymns ;  and 
surely  Mr.  Horder  has  put  Watts'  work  somewhat  out  of 
perspective.  Ambrose  stands  at  the  fountain  head  of  all 
metrical  Congregational  Song;  and  Sternhold,  not  Watts, 
is  the  English  sponsor  of  the  movement  to  provide  the 
people  with  vernacular  songs,  which  Luther  and  Marot 
represent.     When  Watts  wrote,  great  stores  of  metrical 

"T/if  Christian  Psalmist,  Glasgow,  1825,  Introductory  Essay,  p.  xx. 
^**W.  G.  Horder,  The  Hymn  Lover,  London,  n.  d.,  p.  96. 


2o6  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

Psalm  versions  had  been  accumulating  for  a  century  and  a 
half.  Some  passages  from  these  Watts  incorporated  into 
his  own  work:  many  more,  equally  available,  lay  ready  to 
his  hand.  Even  the  "Christianized"  Psalms  of  Watts  were 
a  development  rather  than  a  creation,  as  has  already  ap- 
peared. Of  hymns,  in  the  narrower  sense,  there  were  many, 
and  of  good  hymns  not  a  few.  H  Watts  had  lacked  his 
gift  of  hymn  writing  but  retained  his  practical  sagacity,  he 
could  have  compiled  an  English  hymn  book  out  of  existing 
materials,  whose  excellence  would  not  be  questioned  today. 
With  Marckant,  Austin,  Wither,  Cosin,  Herbert,  Tate, 
Mason,  Ken,  Baxter,  Herrick,  Grossman  and  Stennett,  still 
holding  a  place  in  our  hymn  books,  it  is  idle  to  regard  Watts 
as  inventing  the  English  Hymn. 

It  may  even  be  that  Watts  could  not  write  a  better  hymn 
than  Ken's  Morning  and  Evening  hymns,  a  more  useful 
Ghristmas  hymn  than  Tate's  "While  shepherds  watched," 
or  a  Sunday  hymn  with  more  of  tender  charm  than  Mason's 
"My  Lord,  my  Love,  was  crucified."  But  he  could  bring  to 
bear  upon  his  hymn  writing  a  discernment,  and  a  combina- 
tion of  resources,  spiritual,  intellectual,  poetic,  utilitarian, 
possessed  by  none  of  his  predecessors  or  all  of  them  if  put 
together.  He  was  not  alone  in  perceiving  that  an  acceptable 
evangelical  Ghurch  Song  was  a  spiritual  need  of  his  time, 
but  he  had  the  ability  to  foresee,  as  other  men  could  not,  the 
possibilities  and  limitations  of  the  Congregational  Hymn  in 
filling  that  need.  With  great  assiduity  he  dedicated  his 
ample  gifts  to  the  embodiment  of  what  he  saw.  He  pro- 
duced a  whole  cycle  of  religious  song  which  his  own  ardent 
faith  made  devotional,  which  his  manly  and  lucid  mind  made 
simple  and  strong,  which  his  poetic  feeling  and  craftman- 
ship  made  rhythmical  and  often  lyrical,  and  which  his 
sympathy  with  the  people  made  hymnic.  Probably  the 
whole  body  of  his  work  appealed  alike  to  the  people  of  his 
time,  whose  spiritual  needs  he  so  clearly  apprehended.  The 
larger  part  of  his  work  proved  to  be  an  abiding  enrichment 
of  Church  Song,  and  to  many  its  only  adequate  expression. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  207 

His  best  hymns  remain  permanently,  after  the  winnowing 
of  two  centuries,  among  the  classics  of  devotion. 

But  Watts'  work  was  more  than  an  extensive  reinforce- 
ment of  the  stores  of  available  hymns.  By  the  force  of  its 
very  fitness  it  established  a  definite  and  permanent  type  of 
English  Hymn.  And  this  type,  rather  than  any  particular 
hymns,  is  the  real  expression  of  Watts'  mind  and  purpose, 
and  constitutes  his  special  discovery.  Purposing  to  con- 
struct Church  Song  anew,  he  sought  for  the  true  basis  of  a 
sympathetic  devotion.  He  found  it  not  in  a  poet's  mind,  but 
in  the  thoughts  and  feelings  and  aspirations  held  in  common 
by  the  largest  number  of  Christians.  That  common  ground 
he  selected  as  the  available  area  of  Congregational  Song, 
within  which  he  sank  his  foundations,  and  proceeded  to 
erect  his  System  of  Praise  on  lines  kept  within  the  same 
limits  by  careful  measurement.  By  this  criterion  Watts' 
work  may  be  tried,  both  as  to  form  and  substance. 

(a)  As  to  Form.  Watts  invented  no  hymn  measures, 
but  fell  back  upon  the  rudimentary  forms  of  verse  used  in 
psalm  singing.  In  the  original  edition  of  his  Hymns,  he 
confined  himself  to  the  three  simplest  and  most  often  used 
metres  of  the  current  Stcrnhold  and  Hopkins, — common, 
long  and  short.  In  the  second  edition,  he  added  the  metre 
of  their  148th  Psalm, — 6.  6.  6.  6.  4.  4.  4.  4.  In  The  Psalms 
imitated  he  rendered  "some  few  Psalms  in  Stanza's  of  six, 
eight  or  twelve  lines,  to  the  best  of  the  old  Tunes."  He 
sought  no  musical  development  of  Congregational  Song, 
beyond  a  better  rendering  of  the  psalm  tunes.  He  rather 
accommodated  himself  to  the  conditions  of  musical  decad- 
ence surrounding  him,  with  a  view  to  immediate  usefulness ; 
saying,^'^'^  "I  have  seldom  permitted  a  Stop  in  the  middle  of  a 
Line,  and  seldom  left  the  end  of  a  Line  without  one,  to  com- 
port a  little  with  the  unhappy  Mixture  of  Reading  and 
Singing,  which  cannot  presently  be  reformed." 

The  Hymn  Form  thus  indicated  is  even  simpler  and  more 
restricted  than  that  of  the  earlier  Metrical  Psalm.     But  in 

'"Preface  of  1719,  p.  xxvii. 


2o8  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Watts'  own  hands  the  succession  of  rhythmic  periods 
acquires  a  dignity  of  cadence  pecuHarly  satisfying,  and,  with 
his  pure  and  nervous  EngHsh,  constitutes  a  hymn  style  in 
pleasing  contrast  with  the  halting  measures  of  Sternhold 
and  Hopkins  and  the  rather  rippling  effects  of  Tate  and 
Brady,  With  his  eye  on  the  practical  requirements  of  com- 
mon song,  Watts  gave  to  the  Hymn  Form  other  features 
that  distinguish  it  from  the  formlessness  of  the  Metrical 
Psalm : — the  adaptation  of  the  opening  line  to  make  a  quick 
appeal,  the  singleness  of  theme  that  holds  the  attention 
undivided,  the  brevity  and  compactness  of  structure  and  the 
progression  of  thought  toward  a  climax,  that  give  the 
Hymn  a  unity. 

(b)  As  to  Substance.  The  content  of  the  Hymn,  as 
Watts  conceived  it,  was  Scriptural,  as  being  a  response  to 
Scripture.  It  was  an  evangelical  interpretation  of  revealed 
truths  as  appropriated  by  the  believer.  The  adoration  of 
God  in  nature  and  providence  being  expressed  in  the  Psalms, 
the  great  theme  of  the  Hymn  proper  became  the  Gospel  in 
the  full  width  of  its  range,  including  man's  deliverance  from 
the  terrors  of  the  law.  The  Hymn  thus  became  primarily 
an  expression  of  Christian  experience. 

This  raises  the  question  whether  Watts  stands  sponsor 
for  the  homiletical  ideal  of  the  Hymn,  as  against  the 
liturgical.  He  was  trained  in  that  conception  of  worship 
which  the  sermon  and  not  the  season  dominates ;  and  plainly 
he  designed  his  hymns  to  meet  the  demand  from  the  pulpit 
for  hymns  that  would  illustrate  and  enforce  the  sermon 
themes.  This  demand  was  undoubtedly  one  of  the  moving 
causes  in  the  change  of  Nonconformist  Praise  from 
Psalmody  to  Hymnody.  Granting  that  the  sermon  was 
Scriptural,  Watts'  conception  of  the  Hymn  as  a  response 
to  Scripture  made  such  an  use  of  hymns  natural ;  and,  grant- 
ing that  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  people  were  centred  in 
the  sermon,  the  homiletical  use  of  hymns  would  not  neces- 
sarily interfere  with  the  best  interests  of  Congregational 
Song. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  209 

Whether  for  good  or  ill,  there  is  no  doubt  that  Watts, 
both  by  his  example  in  appending  hymns  to  his  own  printed 
sermons,  and  by  supplying  so  many  hymns  adapted  to  being 
appended  to  other  people's  sermons,  greatly  encouraged  the 
homiletical  use  of  hymns.    But  his  hymns  are  seldom  homi- 
lies, and  they  are  made  liturgical,  in  the  broad  sense  of  that 
word,  by  confinement  within  the  common  ground  of  Chris- 
tian experience  and  avoidance  of  individualism,  whether 
elevated  or  eccentric.     They  are  filled  also  with  reverence 
and  a  deep  sense  of  God's  majesty  and  goodness,  that  evoke 
a  recurring  note  of  adoration  and  praise.    And,  before  com- 
mitting Watts  to  the  homiletical  ideal  of  the  Hymn,  we 
must  remember  that  his  own  hymns  were  designed  to  be 
used  in  connection  with  psalms  as  a  single  System  of  Praise. 
In  doctrine  the  hymns  of  Watts  were  Calvinistic  in  tone 
and  often  in  detail.    This  was  not  from  any  polemical  intent, 
but  because  Calvinism  was  the  form  of  belief  held  in  com- 
mon by  the  writer  and  the  singers.    He  aimed  to  avoid  "the 
more  obscure  and  controverted  Points  of  Christianity"  and 
"the  Contentious  and  Distinguishing  Words  of  Sects  and 
Parties  .  .  .  that   whole   Assemblies    might   assist   at   the 
Harmony,  and  different  Churches  join  in  the  same  Worship 
without  Offence."     He  held  that  in  "Treatises  of  Divinity 
which  are  to  be  read  in  private,"  precision  of  statement 
should  be  aimed  at,  but  that  in  hymns  expressions  should 
be  sought  "such  as  are  capable  of  an  extensive  Sense,  and 
may  be  used  with  a  charitable  Latitude.  .  .  .  that  what  is 
provided  for  publick  Worship  shou'd  give  to  sincere  Con- 
sciences as  little  Vexation  and  Disturbance  as  possible." ^^^ 
This  was  no  more  than  to  carry  into  the  sphere  of  belief 
the  same  search  for  the  common  ground  he  had  already 
made  in  the  sphere  of  experience.    Watts  lived  long  enough 
to  see  the  common  ground  of  belief  much  narrowed  by  the 
Arian  movement,  and  to  read  the  polemical  Hymnody  of 
the  Calvinistic  controversy.     And  in  the  course  of  time 
it  has  no  doubt  become  impracticable  for  the  Churches  to 

"'Preface  of  1707,  PP-  vii,  viii. 


^y 


210  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

confine  their  Hymnody  to  the  things  held  in  common. 
Nevertheless  there  are  but  few  today  who  would  question 
the  soundness  of  the  principle  announced  by  Watts,  or  seek 
to  use  the  Hymn  as  a  weapon  of  polemics  rather  than  as  a 
bond  of  union. 

Of  Watts'  determination  to  keep  the  Hymn  within  the 
common  ground  in  the  sphere  of  the  understanding,  nothing 
needs  to  be  said,  beyond  noting  his  success  in  carrying  out 
that  aim.  His  remarks  upon  the  subject  were  in  fact 
addressed  to  literary  critics,  who  he  feared  would  misunder- 
stand the  purpose  of  his  work.  But  in  the  aim  itself  there 
was  nothing  really  novel.  It  involved  nothing  more  than 
loyalty  to  the  Protestant  principle  that  every  part  of  public 
worship  should  be  conducted  in  a  language  understood  by 
the  people. 

"  VI 

HIS  INFLUENCE  UPON  HYMN  WRITING: 
THE  SCHOOL  OF  WATTS 

Upon  the  production  of  hymns  also  Dr.  Watts'  work 
exercised  a  great  influence,  not  wholly  for  good.  The  art 
that  hides  art  beneath  apparent  simplicity  seems  to  the 
observer  to  be  the  most  imitable  of  all  literary  forms :  and 
a  success  so  striking  as  that  of  Watts  inevitably  breeds 
imitators.  Moreover  the  reiterated  assurances  of  Watts' 
prefaces  that  his  hymns  were  not  poetry,  but  only  measured 
verse  written  down  to  the  level  of  the  meanest  capacity,  were 
a  distinct  encouragement  to  many  who  could  not  write 
poetry  to  believe  they  could  write  hymns.  In  this  way 
Watts'  hymns  became  a  direct  model  for  the  construction  of 
other  hymns,  and  he  became  unconsciously  the  founder  of 
a  school  of  hymn  writers. 

The  five  familiar  hymns  of  Joseph  Addison  appeared  in 
The  Spectator  between  July  and  October,  1712,  five  years 
after  the  publication  of  Watts'  Hymns.  When  two  had  thus 
appeared,  there  followed  in  the  number  for  August  19,  an 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  211 

unsigned  letter  from  Watts  himself,  alleging  that  the  read- 
ing of  them  had  encouraged  him  to  try  his  own  hand,  and 
accompanied  by  a  version  of  Psalm  114,  afterwards  in- 
cluded in  The  Psalms  imitated.  Looking  behind  this  pleas- 
antry, we  may  infer  the  actual  connection  between  the  two 
writers  to  be  that  Watts'  example  and  influence  had  en- 
couraged the  older  poet  to  write  hymns.  But  Addison  had 
his  own  thoughts  and  style,  and  if  an  actual  follower  of 
Watts  in  hymn  writing,  was  no  imitator  of  him,  and  was 
not  especially  of  his  school. 

The  exact  measure  of  Watts'  influence  upon  the  Wesleys 
is  not  easily  appraised.  We  know  that  when  John  Wesley 
went  on  his  mission  to  Georgia,  he  took  with  him  the  Psalms 
and  Hymns,  and  that  in  his  first  hymn  book,  printed  at 
Charleston  in  1737,  a  large  part  of  the  contents  is  by  Watts. 
Some  of  his  hymns  found  permanent  place  in  the  Wesleyan 
books,  and  both  brothers  felt  high  admiration  for  them. 
But  other  influences  affected  the  Wesleys  more  deeply,  and 
are  more  evident  in  their  original  and  translated  work. 
Watts  served  them  by  way  of  suggestion  and  encourage- 
ment rather  than  as  furnishing  a  model  for  their  own 
hymns. 

With  Watts'  contemporary  and  friend,  Dr.  Doddridge, 
it  is  different.  His  hymn  writing  was  one  of  several  lamps 
"kindled  at  Watts'  torch." ^^^  The  hymns  were  homiletical 
in  motive,  mostly  intended  to  be  sung  in  his  own  chapel  at 
the  Castle  Hill,  Northampton,  after  the  particular  sermon 
in  the  glow  of  whose  composition  they  were  composed. 
After  Doddridge's  death  370  of  the  hymns  were  published 
by  his  friend  Job  Orton,  with  quite  superfluous  notes,  as 
Hymns  founded  on  various  texts  in  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
By  the  late  Reverend  Philip  Doddridge,  D.D.  (Salop, 
1755)-  They  reached  a  second  edition  in  1759,  and  a  third 
in  1766,  with  small  additions.  Many  reprints  followed  and 
the  Hymns  gained  the  place  of  a  standard  publication.  The 
book  does  not  range  technically  with  the  "Supplements  to 

"'His  Rise  and  Progress  and  Catechism  in  verse  were  others. 


212  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Watts,"  but  already  in  1755  a  letter  of  Mrs.  Doddridge 
speaks  of  numerous  ministers  intending  to  introduce  it  in 
that  capacity/^'"  and  such  it  actually  became  in  fact.  The 
effect  of  it  was  to  augment  by  so  much  the  available  body  of 
hymns  of  the  Watts  t3^pe,  covering  some  new  themes  and 
special  occasions  with  hymns  of  decided  merit  and  useful- 
ness. Doddridge  must  be  accounted  first  scholar  in  the 
school  of  Watts.  Chronologically  he  had  been  preceded 
by  Simon  Browne.  But  Browne's  hymns  as  a  whole  hardly 
justified  their  existence,  whereas  Doddridge's  constituted 
a  worthy  extension  of  Watts',  and  the  best  of  them  attained 
a  position  to  be  described  as  classical. 

Dr.  Thomas  Gibbons,  the  next  in  the  succession  of  Inde- 
pendent hymn  writers,  took  his  impulse  from  Watts,  with- 
out sharing  Watts'  gift.  Nor  could  he  succeed  in  getting 
either  of  his  collections  already  referred  to  into  the  churches. 
The  earlier  one  has,  however,  the  special  interest  of  con- 
taining the  hymns  of  his  friend  President  Davies  of  Prince- 
ton, whose  Mss.  had  come  into  Gibbons'  hands.  And 
President  Davies'  hymns  remain  as  an  interesting  testimony 
of  how  far  Watts'  influence  had  spread.  They  attained 
wider  liturgical  use  than  those  of  Gibbons,  and  at  least  two 
of  them^^^  have  proved  permanently  useful.  But  in  the 
work  of  both  writers  we  can  detect  the  beginnings  of  that 
process  which  perpetuates  the  form  and  manner  of  a  literary 
type  apart  from  its  original  inspiration.  Neither  Watts 
nor  Doddridge  had  been  free  from  a  tendency  to  prosaic 
dullness,  and  at  the  weaker  hands  of  their  imitators  this 
tendency  found  a  marked  development. 

The  most  popular,  after  Watts,  of  XVIIIth  century  Inde- 
pendent hymn-writers,  was  Joseph  Hart,  who  is  usually 
reckoned  a  disciple  of  the  school  of  Watts.     He  published 

""John  Stoughton,  Philip  Doddridge,  ed.  Boston,  1853,  p.  120,  note. 

'"These  are  "Lord,  I  am  thine,  entirely  thine,"  and  "Great  God  of 
Wonders!  all  thy  Ways."  For  a  reprint  of  Davies'  hymns  and  a 
study  of  them  by  the  present  writer,  see  Journal  of  The  Presbyterian 
Historical  Society  for  Sept.  and  Dec,  1904. 


"RENOVATION  OF  PSALMODY"  213 

in  1759  (119)  Hymns  composed  on  various  subjects,  zvith 
the  Author's  experience,  to  which  later  supplements  added 
some  hmidred  more.  They  were  introduced  in  his  own 
chapel  in  Jewin  Street,  London,  with  immediate  acceptance, 
and  gained  a  wide  use  among  Calvinistic  Nonconformists 
of  different  connections.  Repeated  editions  were  called  for, 
and  their  reprinting  has  continued  till  the  present  time.  An 
inspection  of  these  hymns  makes  it  evident  that  Hart  was 
not  of  Watts'  school.  His  work  addresses  a  lower  plane  of 
education  and  taste  than  Watts,  with  his  eminently  respect- 
able surroundings,  had  in  mind.  Moreover  a  congregation 
bred  to  sing  only  psalms  and  hymns  of  the  Watts  type  could 
not  have  carried  these  strange  measures,  which  were  fitted 
to  the  melodies  of  the  Methodist  Revival.  These  warm  and 
even  passionate  strains  are  explained  by  Hart's  associations 
with  the  Moravians,  in  one  of  whose  chapels  he  was  con- 
verted, and  these  new  measures  he  learned  in  his  attendance 
at  the  Tabernacle  at  Moorfields.  Hart  belongs  rather  with 
that  evangelistic  movement,  with  which,  whether  Calvinistic 
or  Arminian,  Watts  had  little  sympathy. 

On  the  Baptist  side  of  Independency  also,  Watts  became 
a  controlling  influence.  We  have  already  traced  the  begin- 
nings of  a  Particular  Baptist  Hymnody  down  to  Stennett's 
Hymns  for  the  Holy  Ordinance  of  Baptism  of  1712.  Then 
followed  a  breach  in  Baptist  hymn  making.  In  the  thirty- 
seven  years  following,  the  silence  was  broken  only  by  two 
faint  voices.  In  1 734  Mrs.  Anne  Button  appended  a  group 
of  hymns  to  her  poem  on  The  Wonders  of  Grace,  and  in 
1747  Daniel  Turner  of  Reading  published  Divine  Songs, 
Hymns  and  other  Poems}^^ 

The  year  1750  begins  a  new  period  in  Baptist  hymn  writ- 
ing, but  it  is  a  Hymnody  of  the  school  of  Watts.  Ben- 
jamin Wallin's  Evangelical  Hymns  and  Songs  of  that  year 
counted  for  something,  but  two  volumes  of  Poems  on 
subjects  chiefly  devotional,  by  Theodosia   (Bristol,   1760) 

"^Turner  is  best  known  through  his  enlargement  (pub.  1794)  of 
Jas.  Fanch's  "Beyond  the  glittering  starry  skies." 


214  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

counted  for  much.  The  hymns  of  Anne  Steele  appearing 
thus,  and  in  a  posthumous  third  volume  (Bristol,  1780), 
were  framed  on  the  familiar  model,  but  added  a  new  note 
to  the  contents  of  the  English  Hymn.  Exchanging  the 
common  ground  for  the  feminine  standpoint,  she  gave  us 
the  Hymn  of  Introspection  and  of  intense  devotion  to 
Christ's  person,  expressed  in  fervid  terms  of  heightened 
emotion.  Composing  under  the  shadow  of  affliction  and  ill- 
health,  she  added  to  English  Hymnody  the  plaintive,  senti- 
mental note. 

A  number  of  these  hymns  remain  in  common  use,  and 
Miss  Steele  is  still  regarded  as  the  foremost  Baptist  hymn 
writer.  But  the  measure  of  our  regard  for  her  hymns 
reflects  but  faintly  the  enthusiasm  of  their  welcome.  Those 
concerned  for  a  Baptist  Hymnody  soon  perceived  that  a 
great  light  had  arisen  among  themselves :  it  had  become 
practicable  to  consider  the  compilation  of  denominational 
hymn  books  to  supplement  Watts.  Through  these,  already 
noted,  her  hymns  became  known  in  all  English  Churches; 
and  through  reprints  of  these  and  also  a  Boston  reprint  of 
her  poems, ^^^  they  became  eventually  familiar  in  America. 
So  far  reaching  and  so  deep  was  the  impression  made  by 
Miss  Steele  that  when  Jeremy  Belknap  published  his  Sacred 
Poetry  at  Boston,  1795,  he  was  moved  to  include  her  hymns 
to  an  extent  justifying  him  in  devoting  nearly  half  of  his 
preface  to  a  biographical  sketch  of  her.  And  when  the 
people  of  Trinity  Church,  Boston,  grew  weary  of  the 
authorized  Psalmody,  and  the  vestry  ventured  in  1808  to 
print  a  parochial  hymn  book,  59  of  its  152  hymns  are  Miss 
Steele's;  a  tribute,  as  the  preface  explains,  "to  her  poetical 
superiority,  and  to  the  ardent  spirit  of  devotion  which 
breathes  in  her  compositions."  It  is  easy  to  understand  that 
the  depth  and  sincerity  of  feeling  in  Miss  Steele's  hymns 
made  Tate  and  Brady  and  even  Watts  seem  cold.  But  in 
the  course  of  time  it  has  become  plain  to  many  that  those 

^'^^The  Works  of  Mrs.  Anne  Steele,  Boston,  1808,  2  vols.,  i6mo. 
(a  reprint  of  the  English  ed.  of  1780).    "Mrs."  was  a  courtesy  title. 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  215 

of  her  hymns  that  were  most  closely  patterned  on  Watts 
were  also  those  best  adapted  to  congregational  use. 

There  were  now  practical  inducements  for  hymn  writing, 
and  the  years  from  1760  till  towards  the  close  of  the 
XVIIIth  century  constitute  what  is  still  the  only  very  sig- 
nificant era  of  Baptist  Hymnody.  Miss  Steele  was  fol- 
lowed in  1768  by  John  Needham  of  Bristol,  whose  Hymns 
devotional  and  moral  on  various  subjects  added  263  to  the 
available  store,  but  added  nothing  in  the  way  of  advance 
on  his  great  model.  Dr.  Watts,  whom  he  closely  imitated. 
At  the  West,  Benjamin  Beddome  was  producing  a  weekly 
hymn  for  use  after  his  sermon  at  Bourton.  Some  of  these 
appeared  in  Baptist  hymn  books  during  his  life,  and  in 
181 7  no  less  than  830  were  gathered  up  by  Robert  Hall  as 
Hymns  adapted  to  public  worship  or  family  devotion,  now 
first  published  from  the  manuscripts  of  the  late  Rev.  B. 
Beddome,  M.A.  In  merit  and  in  actual  use  Beddome  stands 
beside  Miss  Steele.  During  the  same  period  John  Ryland 
of  Northampton  was  contributing  hymns  to  The  Gospel 
Magazine  and  to  current  hymn  books.  John  Fellows  printed 
his  Hymns  on  Believers'  Baptism  in  1773  and  Hymns  in  a 
great  variety  of  metres  in  1776.  John  Fawcett  published 
in  1782  his  Hymns  adapted  to  the  circumstances  of  public 
worship  and  private  devotion  (Leeds).  Richard  Burnham 
began  to  publish  his  New  Hymns  in  1783,  and  Samuel 
Medley  gathered  into  several  volumes,  beginning  with  1785, 
his  h3anns  that  had  appeared  in  leaflets  and  periodicals. 
The  hymns  of  Samuel  Stennett  were  contributed  to  Rippon's 
Selection  of  1787.  And  we  may  close  the  list  with  the 
Walworth  Hymns  of  Joseph  Swain  (London,  1792),  who 
could  follow  the  traditional  model  as  well  as  any,  but 
had  also  a  distinct  gift  for  a  somewhat  freer  spiritual 
song.  All  of  these  men  are  still  of  some  interest  to  the 
student  of  English  hymns :  they  contributed  to  the  per- 
manent body  of  Evangelical  Hymnody,  and  retain  a  minor 
place  in  current  hymnals.  Such  as  they  were,  they,  wnth 
Miss  Steele,  represent  the  golden  age  of  Baptist  Hymnody, 


2i6  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

and  serve  to  show  how  it  shone  wi 
the  person  and  work  of  Dr.  Watts. 

Beyond  the  bounds  of  Independency  his  influence  is  just 
as  apparent  in  the  hymn  writers  of  the  later  Presbyterian 
and  Unitarian  group,  of  whom  Joseph  Grigg  and  Mrs.  Bar- 
bauld  are  most  familiar;  and  in  Scotland  in  the  work  of 
Ralph  Erskine  and  the  writers  of  the  Translations  and  Para- 
phrases. Indeed  the  whole  history  of  English  hymn  writing 
points  back  to  the  fact  that  Watts  established  once  for  all  a 
definite  type  of  Hymn.  Partly  because  of  its  essential 
fitness,  and  partly  from  the  accident  of  its  furnishing  a 
mould  which  is  the  easiest  to  fill  out,  it  has  happened  that 
from  his  time  till  ours  the  work  of  hymn  writers  without 
special  force  or  inspiration  of  their  own  has  tended  to 
revert  to  the  original  model. 

VII 

HIS  INFLUENCE  UPON  HYMN  SINGING 

After  all,  the  Hymn  is  intended  to  be  sung.  The  Hymn 
Form  and  the  writing  of  hymns  have  little  significance  apart 
from  hymn  singing.  And  it  is  so  with  the  work  of  Dr. 
Watts.  Whatever  importance  be  attached  to  his  influence 
upon  the  ideal  of  the  English  Hymn  and  upon  hymn  compo- 
sition, any  final  estimate  of  his  place  in  Hymnody  must  be 
based  upon  the  record  of  his  success  in  getting  his  hymns 
sung.  For  that  was  the  sum  of  his  achievement.  His 
greatest  influence,  that  is  to  say,  lay  in  his  undoubted  leader- 
ship in  the  establishment  and  extension  of  hymn  singing 
as  a  part  of  congregational  worship  in  the  stead  of  the 
ordinance  of  psalm  singing  maintained  since  the  Reforma- 
tion. 

We  have  already  said  that  he  may  not  be  regarded  as  the 
"Inventor  of  the  English  Hymn."  It  is  equally  true  that  he 
cannot  with  strict  accuracy  be  called  the  founder  of  the 
ordinance    of     hymn     singing    in    our     English-speaking 


"RENOVATION   OF  PSALMODY"  217 

Churches.  The  Restoration  Movement  toward  hymn  sing- 
ing cannot  justly  be  ignored,  any  more  than  the  early  hymn 
writers  can  be  overlooked.  Hymn  singing  had  begun 
before  Watts,  and  hymn  books  were  in  use  before  the 
publication  of  his.  Nevertheless  it  is  his  figure  that  stands 
out  against  the  deplorable  conditions  of  Psalmody  at  the 
beginning  of  the  XVIIIth  century.  He  does  not  stand 
alone,  but  his  personality  commands  the  situation,  his  mind 
plans  the  remedy  purely  from  personal  resources,  and  his 
strong  will  overcomes  the  force  of  tradition,  of  conviction, 
of  sacred  associations,  of  habit,  of  prejudice,  and,  not  least, 
of  indifference.     The  aggressiveness  and  even  bitterness  of  / 

tone  assumed  by  Watts  in  his  prefaces  and  treatise  on 
Psalmody,  standing  in  contrast  to  his  habitual  moderation, 
mark  his  method  of  a  deliberate  attack  upon  the  position 
of  the  psalm  singers;  to  whom  indeed  some  things  therein 
said  seemed  little  short  of  blasphemous.  He  raised  the  issue 
squarely  of  Hymn  against  Psalm.  While  The  Psalms 
imitated  did  actually  serve  as  a  bridge  over  which  numerous 
psalm  singers  crossed  almost  unconsciously  into  Hymnody, 
Watts  himself  did  not  offer  them  as  a  compromise  or  half 
way  measure,  but  only  as  a  supplement  to  his  Hymns,  first 
published,  and  followed  by  the  Psalms  after  an  interval  of 
twelve  years. 

This  assault  upon  the  Metrical  Psalm  might  have  counted 
for  little,  might  indeed  have  proved  a  destructive  influence, 
if  Watts  had  not  been  able  to  replace  the  overthrown  Psalm- 
ody with  a  Hymnody  that  satisfied  the  religious  sentiment 
more  completely,  and  yet  retained  a  sufficiency  of  the 
familiar  form  and  tone  of  the  accustomed  psalm.  The  num- 
ber of  those  who  read  Watts'  arguments  against  Metrical 
Psalmody  was  limited,  though  his  views  were  widely  spread 
for  at  least  a  century  by  means  of  debates  and  "Psalmody 
sermons."  But  to  a  multitude  of  devout  hearts  the  evan- 
gelical Psalms  and  Hymns  in  themselves  furnished  an  incon- 
trovertible argument  against  a  longer  continuance  in  the  old 
Psalmody.      It    is    this   wonderful    adaptation   of    Watts' 


2i8  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

System  of  Praise  to  meet  the  situation  and  to  change  it 
that  gives  it  some  consideration  to  be  regarded  as  a  work 
of  genius. 

The  full  scope  of  Dr.  Watts'  personal  agency  in  the  move- 
ment which  has  transformed  all  but  a  comparatively  insig- 
nificant minority  of  English-speaking  Churches  from  psalm 
singing  into  hymn  singing  Churches,  it  is  impossible  to 
estimate.  His  more  immediate  influence  was  confined  to 
the  Nonconformist  Churches  of  England  and  to  Churches 
of  corresponding  type  in  America;  and  even  in  these  oper- 
ated more  slowly  than  is  sometimes  imagined.  Watts  had 
many  friends  and  admirers  in  the  Church  of  England,  and 
among  them  not  a  few  who  would  gladly  have  witnessed 
the  introduction  of  his  System  of  Praise.  But  as  against 
Anglican  tradition  his  influence  was  immediately  ineffective. 
Upon  the  unchurched  masses  whom  the  Wesleys  reached 
with  their  preaching  and  hymns,  Watts  had  no  influence, 
and  for  them  a  quite  moderate  degree  of  concern.  When 
we  set  the  Watts  movement  against  the  two  other  XMHth 
century  movements,  that  were  to  introduce  hymn  singing 
among  the  unchurched  and  into  the  Church  of  England 
respectively,  the  two  features  that  stand  out  are : — first, 
that  the  priority  lay  with  Watts,  and  that  his  influence  to 
an  undetermined  extent  permeated  the  others:  and  second, 
that  while  the  two  other  movements  were  connected  with 
revivals  and  dependent  upon  stimulated  emotions,  the  move- 
ment inaugurated  by  Watts  was  not  in  intent  revivalistic, 
but  purely  liturgical,  a  sober  and  deliberate  undertaking  for 
the  "Renovation  of  Psalmody"  in  the  ordinary  worship  of 
the  Church. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  HYMNODY  OF  THE  METHODIST  REVIVAL 

I 

ITS  ANTECEDENTS  AND  BEGINNINGS 

(1721-1738) 

I.     John  Wesley  Aims  to  Uplift  Parochial  Psalmody 

During  the  early  decades  of  the  XVIIIth  century  the 
Hymns  and  The  Psalms  imitated  of  Watts  were  gradually 
but  surely  replacing  the  older  metrical  psalms  in  the  Non- 
conformist churches  of  England,  and  establishing  them- 
selves there  as  the  norm  of  Congregational  Praise.  In 
the  parish  churches,  on  the  other  hand,  the  use  of  hymns  of 
any  sort  was  sporadic  and  occasional,  while  the  singing  of 
metrical  psalms  was  the  universal  practice.  In  the  country- 
side and  villages  the  Old  Version  of  Sternhold  and  Hop- 
kins was  still  used,  but  in  London  and  a  few  towns,  the 
Nezv  Version  of  Tate  and  Brady  was  beginning  to  get  a 
hearing.  The  hymns  of  Watts  had  given  a  new  spiritual 
interest  to  congregational  song  in  the  chapels  which  the 
Nezv  Version  failed  to  impart  to  that  of  the  city  churches 
introducing  it.  But  in  church  and  chapel  alike  the  clinging 
to  the  old  custom  of  lining  out  the  psalm  and  the  dull  and 
drawling  rendering  of  the  notes  emphasized  the  continued 
indifference  to  the  musical  side  of  Psalmody.  In  London 
churches  a  disposition  was  manifesting  itself  to  relegate 
the  singing  altogether  to  a  choir  made  up  of  "charity 
children"  or  such  others  as  were  available. 

Such  were  the  conditions  of  Congregational  Song  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Methodist  Movement  within  the  Church 
of  England  toward  the  middle  of  the  century.  In  connec- 
219 


220  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

tion  with  this  Movement,  the  singing  of  hymns  gained  not 
only  a  great  extension  but  also  a  quite  new  power  and 
import.  It  recovered  the  emotional  fervor  of  the  first  sing- 
ing of  vernacular  psalms  by  the  Huguenots,  and  repeated 
the  spiritual  triumphs  of  the  Reformation  Psalmody.  In 
the  same  connection  the  English  Hymn  itself  acquired  a 
new  development  in  several  directions,  and  Hymnody  was 
permanently  enriched  by  a  large  body  of  available  hymns, 
many  of  which  remain  in  present  use,  and  some  of  which 
attain  the  highest  rank. 

The  leader  who  played  the  part  in  Methodist  Hymnody 
which  Calvin  had  taken  in  Huguenot  Psalmody  was,  con- 
trary perhaps  to  the  general  impression,  John  Wesley  and 
not  his  brother  Charles.  He  planned  it,  prepared  the 
ground,  introduced  and  fostered  it,  moulded  and  adminis- 
tered it,  and  also  restrained  its  excesses.  But  Charles  Wes- 
ley, by  reason  of  the  bulk  and  quality  of  his  contributions 
to  the  new  Hymnody,  became  distinctively  the  Poet  of 
Methodism;  and  indeed  contests  with  Watts  the  first  place 
as  a  writer  of  English  hymns.  In  the  matter  of  dates  and 
precedence  it  is  convenient  to  remember  that  Charles  Wesley 
was  born  at  the  Ep worth  rectory  in  1707,^  the  very  year 
of  publication  of  Watts'  Hymns;  his  brother  John  four  and 
a  half  years  earlier.  John  Wesley  published  his  first  hymn 
book  in  1737,  eighteen  years  after  Watts  had  completed  his 
System  of  Praise  with  the  publication  of  The  Psalms  of 
Dai'id  imitated  in  17 19.  And  two  years  later  Charles  printed 
his  first  hymns. 

There  was  much  in  the  inheritance  and  early  training  of 
the  Wesley  brothers  which  explains  their  interest  in  Hym- 
nody, and  which  prepared  them  for  their  great  work  in  it. 
There  was,  to  begin  with,  in  both  a  strong  inherited  bent 
toAvard  poetry  and  the  poetic  expression  of  feeling.  Samuel 
Wesley,  the  father,  printed  a  volume  of  his  verses  (Maggots, 

'December  i8th,  Old  Style.  For  the  discussion  as  to  year  see 
John  Telford,  The  Life  of  Charles  Wesley,  rev.  ed.,  London,  1900, 
pp.  19,  20. 


TIYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     221 

1685)  before  leaving  Oxford,  and  followed  it  with  a  series 
of  later  poems  of  which  The  Life  of  our  Blessed  Lord  and 
Saz'iour  Jesus  Christ  (1693)  is  best  known.  Careless  and 
too  voluminous,  these  works  are  yet  not  wanting  in  imagina- 
tive and  forceful  expression.  In  the  Psalm  versions  ap- 
pended to  his  The  pious  communicant  rightly  prepared 
(1700),  and  elsewhere,  Samuel  Wesley  showed  himself 
as  by  no  means  an  incapable  hymn  writer.^  It  was  no  acci- 
dent that  five  of  his  children,  Samuel,  Jr.,^  John,  Charles, 
Emilia,  and  Mehetabel,  exhibited  in  varying  degrees  the 
poetic  gift,  and  cultivated  the  art  of  verse.  We  find  the 
father  in  1706  recommending  his  son  Samuel  to  make 
"translations  of  the  Bible  into  verse"  in  the  effort  to  recon- 
cile fancy  and  devotion;  and  in  1725  approving  verses  on 
the  85th  Psalm  by  his  son  John,  who  was  then  contemplat- 
ing an  entrance  into  holy  orders."* 

It  may  be  added  that  the  children  of  Epworth  rectory 
were  trained  to  social  singing  of  psalms,  and  apparently  of 
hymns,  in  the  family  circle ;  a  somewhat  unusual  custom  at 
the  time,  the  neglect  of  which  Samuel  Wesley  attributed  to 
the  general  decay  of  piety  and  the  uninteresting  character 
of  the  Psalm  versions  and  of  their  tunes. ^  The  attitude  of 
the  Epworth  household  toward  current  Church  of  England 
Psalmody  was  the  same  that  Watts  had  taken  toward  Non- 
conformist Psalmody.  Before  Watts'  Hymns  appeared, 
Samuel  Wesley  wrote  to  his  son  Samuel  of  the  "sorry 
Sternhold  Psalms,"^  and  in  a  paper  in  the  Athenian  Oracle 

^One  of  his  hymns,  "Behold  the  Saviour  of  Mankind,"  still  has  place 
in  the  Methodist  hymn  books  of  England  and  America.  In  the  first 
impressions  of  the  Dunciad  (1728),  Pope  pilloried  S.  Wesley  along 
with  Watts;  both  names  being  afterwards  erased,  perhaps  owing  to 
protestations  from  without.  Cf.  Geo.  J.  Stevenson,  Memorials  of  the 
Wesley  Family,  London  [1876],  p.  68. 

'Two  of  his  hymns  are  retained  in  the  English  Methodist  Hymn 
Book. 

*L.  Tyerman,  Life  and  Times  of  Samuel  Wesley,  London,  1866, 
pp.  311,  392. 

'■Ibid.,  p.  311. 

'^Ibid.,  p.  310. 


222  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN. 

''^complains  that  most  of  the  psalm  tunes  are  so  vile  that  even 
Orpheus  could  not  make  good  music  of  them.  He  describes 
the  usual  rendering  of  the  psalms  as  "the  reading  them  at 
such  a  lame  rate,  tearing  them  limb  from  limb,  and  leaving 

ysense,  cadency,  and  all  at  the  mercy  of  the  clerk's  nose."^ 
In  his  Advice  to  a  young  Clergyman,  referring  to  efforts 
to  improve  the  singing  at  Epworth  Church,  he  attributes  the 
preference  of  the  common  people  for  Sternhold  and  Hop- 
kins' version  over  that  of  Tate  and  Brady  to  their  "strange 
genius  at  understanding  nonsense."  ^ 

"'  John  Wesley,  in  his  turn,  ridiculed  the  Psalmody  of  the 
town  churches  as  "the  miserable,  scandalous  doggerel  of 
Sternhold  and  Hopkins" ;  at  first  droned  out,  two  staves  at 
a  time,  by  "a  poor  humdrum  wretch,"  and  then  "bawled 
out"  "by  a  handful  of  wild,  unawakened  striplings"  "who 
neither  feel  nor  understand"  what  they  "scream,"  while 
the  congregation  is  "lolling  at  ease,  or  in  the  indecent  pos- 

v^ture  of  sitting,  drawling  out  one  word  after  another."^ 
Our  particular  concern  with  these  passages  is  in  their 
exhibition  of  the  young  Wesleys  as  already  in  the  accus- 
tomed exercise  of  social  Psalmody,  and  of  John  especially 
as  deeply  moved  by  the  degraded  conditions  of  parochial 
Psalmody.  For  it  was  their  love  of  social  Psalmody  that 
made  Methodist  Hymnody  what  it  was,  and  it  was  the  desire 
to  better  parochial  Psalmody  that  furnished  John  Wesley 
with  the  original  motive  of  his  work  in  Hymnody. 

The  social  singing  of  psalms  and  hymns  passed  naturally 
from  the  Epworth  rectory  to  the  meetings  of  the  Holy  Club 
that  Charles  Wesley  founded  at  Oxford  in  the  spring  of 
1729,  for  the  cultivation  of  method  in  study,  devotion  and 
good  works, ^^  and  of  which  John  became  the  leader  on 
his  return  to  Oxford  in  November  of  the  same  year.    John 

'Ibid.,  pp.  311,  312. 

"Thos.  Jackson,  Life  of  Charles  Wesley,  London,  1841,  vol.  ii,  p.  509. 

"L.  Tyerman,  Life  and  Times  of  John  Wesley,  5th  ed.,  London. 
1880,  vol.  ii,  pp.  282,  283. 

"  "This  gained  me  the  harmless  name  of  Methodist."  Chas.  Wesley 
to  Chandler  (28  April,  1785). 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     223 

was  an  admiring  reader  of  Dr.  Watts^^  and  of  course 
familiar  with  Watts'  work  in  Hymnody;  and,  in  view  of 
Wesley's  later  dealings  with  them,  we  may  infer  that  Watts' 
Psalms  and  Hymns,  in  connection  perhaps  with  Tate  and 
Brady's  New  Version,  furnished  the  materials  for  the  sing- 
ing of  the  Holy  Club.^^ 

2.     The  Moravians  Reveal  to  Him  the  Spiritual 
Potentiality  of  the  Hymn 

When  John  Wesley  determined  on  the  missionary  life, 
and  on  October  14,  1735,  embarked  for  the  new  colony  of 
Georgia,  he  was  accompanied  by  his  brother  Charles^^'  and 
Benjamin  Ingham;  they  being  three  out  of  thirteen  Oxford 
"Methodists."  And  Wesley's  account  of  their  common  life 
on  board  the  "Simmons"  reads  much  like  a  protracted  meet- 
ing of  the  Holy  Club.  The  minds  of  both  brothers  had 
come  under  the  influence  of  Tauler,  Law,  and  other  mystical 
divines,  but  both  were  Anglican  clergymen  of  the  severe 
high  church  type.  They  aimed  at  a  devotional  and  church 
life  that  was  "primitive,"  and  were  scrupulous  in  the  ob- 
servance of  rites  and  ceremonies,  the  weekly  fasts  and 
Eucharist,  and  Baptism  by  trine  immersion;  and  were  of  a 
spirit  too  intolerant  for  missionary  success.^ ^ 

^^The  Journal  of  the  Rev.  John  Wesley,  A.M.,  ed.  by  Nehemiah 
Curnock,  standard  ed.,  London  and  New  York,  n.  d.,  vol.  i,  p.  139,  note. 
This  edition  of  the  famous  Journal,  with  its  decipherment  of  the 
unprinted  Diaries,  is  indispensable  to  understanding  the  development 
of  Wesley's  mind  and  work  in  Hymnody  as  in  other  directions. 

^'Cf.  Journal,  vol.  i,  p.  243,  note. 

"Though  Charles  went  as  secretary  to  Governor  Oglethorpe,  he 
was  ordained  just  before  starting,  that  he  might  ofliciate  in  the  colo- 
nies. Diet,  of  Nat.  Biography,  art  "Chas.  Wesley" ;  Thos.  Jackson, 
IJfe  of  Charles  Wesley,  London,  1841,  vol.  i,  p.  44. 

"The  claim  of  some  modern  Anglicans  that  the  Wesleys  were  high 
churchmen  is  successful  enough  as  to  this  early  period  of  their  lives 
(1725-1738),  and  within  those  limits  freely  admitted  by  Methodist 
writers.  Cf.  Jas.  H.  Rigg,  The  Churchmanship  of  John  Wesley,  rev. 
ed.,  London  [1887],  "chap,  ii,  Period  of  ritualistic  high  churchman- 
ship."  For  a  more  carefully  discriminating  statement,  see  Journal, 
vol.  i,  p.  167,  note. 


224  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Wesley's  kit  included  a  considerable  collection  of  books. 
Among  them  were  some  that  became  the  sources  of  Wes- 
leyan  Hymnody :  Tate  and  Brady's  New  Version  of  the 
Psalms,  and  apparently  the  Supplement,  with  its  tunes; 
Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns;  George  Herbert's  Poems; 
Hickes'  edition  of  Devotions  in  the  ancient  way  of  Offices, 
containing  John  Austin's  hymns;  the  Diiine  Dialogues 
with  Divine  Hymns  of  Henry  More;  Dean  Brevint's  Chris- 
tian Sacrament  and  Sacrifice;  and  some  of  the  works  of 
Norris  of  Bemerton.  Hymns  by  others,  including  his 
father  and  brother  Samuel,  were  among  his  manuscript 
materials. 

The  brothers  had  as  fellow-voyagers  twenty-six  German 
Moravian  colonists,  with  their  new  bishop,  David  Nitsch- 
mann.  The  Moravians  made  much  of  hymn  singing  on 
board  in  all  weathers,  and  in  the  stress  of  storm  it  became 
the  characteristic  expression  of  an  unruffled  faith.^^  On 
the  third  day  John  Wesley  began  the  study  of  German, 
"in  order  to  converse  with"  the  Moravians,  and  soon  took 
part  in  their  daily  worship.^  ^ 

This  intercourse  with  the  Germans  marks  the  beginning 
of  Moravian  influence  upon  the  spiritual  life  of  both  Wes- 
leys,  and  was  to  have  a  marked  effect  on  Wesleyan  Hym- 
nody. Its  immediate  eft'ect  was  to  make  an  indelible 
impression  of  the  spiritual  possibilities  of  the  Hymn  and 
of  a  fervid  type  of  hymn  singing  far  removed  from  the 
dull  parochial  Psalmody  or  congregational  praise  of  Non- 
conformist chapels.  The  fervor  and  spontaneity  of  this 
Moravian  song  was  ultimately  to  be  reproduced  in  the  hymn 
singing  of  Methodist  meetings.  A  secondary  effect  was 
to  turn  John  Wesley  to  the  study  of  the  German  Moravian 
Hymnody,  and  to  set  him  to  the  making  of  English  trans- 
lations.^^   The  Journal  for  October  27,  1735,  has  the  entry, 

^^Journal,  vol.  i,  p.  142. 
'"'Ibid.,  vol.  i,  pp.   no,   113. 

''C/.  Sermon  cxxi  in  The  Works  of  John  Wesley,  ed.  New  York, 
1831,  vol.  ii,  p.  443. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     225 

"Began  Gcsang-Buch."  This  has  been  identified'**  as  the 
first  of  the  hymn  books  for  the  congregation  at  Herrnhnt, 
pubHshed  that  same  year  by  Count  Zinzendorf  :  Das  Gesang- 
Buch  der  Gemeine  in  Herrnhut.  Wesley  had  also  access, 
either  on  shipboard  or  in  Georgia,  to  the  pietistic  hymn 
books  of  Johann  Anastasius  Freylinghausen,  Gcisf-reiches 
Gesang-Buch,  den  Kern  alter  und  neuer  Lieder,  &c.  (Halle, 
1704),  and  its  second  part,  Neues  Geist-reiches  Gesang- 
Buch,  &.C.,  appearing  in  1714.''^  These  became  the  German 
sources  of  the  Wesleyan  Hymnody,  and  are  of  decided 
import. 

3.     He  makes  Hymn  Books  as  a  Missionary,  and  as  an 
Associate  of  Moravians 

One  of  the  disclosures  of  Wesley's  newly  deciphered 
diary  is  the  grip  which  hymns  took  upon  his  mind  and 
heart,  when  once  he  had  caught  the  fervor  of  Moravian 
Hymnody;  the  share  of  his  daily  life  given  over  to  hymn 
singing;  his  assiduous  study  of  hymns,  sometimes  continu- 
ing through  the  working  hours  of  successive  days.  The 
English  Hymn,  that  had  found  so  capable  a  tutor  as  Watts, 
had  been  waiting  for  so  devoted  a  lover  as  Wesley.  He 
at  once  began,  and  pursued  with  extraordinary  carefulness, 
the  selection,  revision,  translation  and  composition  of 
hymns  for  the  varied  uses  of  his  American  ministrations. 
He  introduced  hymn  singing  into  those  "companies"  formed 
at  Savannah  and  Frederica,  which  were  the  prototype  of  the 
Methodist  "society,"^*^  and  even  into  the  Sunday  church 
services.  In  the  list  of  grievances  against  Wesley  presented 
by  the  Grand  Jury  for  Savannah  in  August,  1737,  the  first 
was  his  alterations  of  the  authorized  metrical  psalms,  and 

^^Journal,  vol.  ii,  p.  6. 

'*The  two  parts,  combined  into  one  under  the  title  of  the  first,  by 
G.  A.  Francke,  appearing  at  Halle  in  1741,  remain  the  best  expression 
of  the  Hymnody  of  the  Pietistic  Revival,  from  which  the  Methodist 
Revival  drew  not  only  some  of  its  hymns  but  also  some  of  its  earliest 
tunes. 

'"Journal,  vol  i,  pp.  228,  229. 


226  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

the  second  his  "introducing  into  the  church  and  service  at 
the  Altar  compositions  of  psalms  and  hymns  not  inspected 
or  authorized  by  any  proper  judicature."^^ 

These  psalms  and  hymns  were  at  first  a  manuscript  col- 
lection,^^ and  Wesley  tested  them  by  repeated  readings  and 
discussions  with  friends,  as  well  as  in  the  sick-room  and  in 
social  devotions."^  He  then  arranged  with  Lewis  Timothy 
of  Charleston  to  print  a  selection  of  them.^^ 

This,  Wesley's  first  hymn  book,  appeared  as  Collection 
of  Psalms  and  Hymns.  Charles-town,  1/3/,  without  his 
name;  a  roughly  printed  little  volume  of  74  pages. ^^  Of 
its  pieces,  numbered  as  70,  one  half  are  from  Watts,  7  from 
John  Austin,  6  adapted  from  George  Herbert,  2  from 
Addison;  and  the  Wesleys  are  represented  by  15: — 5  of 
Samuel,  Sr.,  5  of  Samuel,  Jr.,  and  5  translated  from  the 
German  by  John  himself.  There  is  none  by  Charles 
Wesley,^^  who  had  returned  to  England.  The  pieces  are 
grouped  in  three  divisions,  as  "Psalms  and  Hymns  for 
Sunday"  (hymns  of  general  praise)  ;  "for  Wednesday  or 
Friday"  (suitable  for  fast  days)  ;  and  "for  Saturday" 
(hymns  especially  addressed  to  God  as  the  Creator  of  all 
things).  Beyond  the  "primitive  usage"  recognized  in  this 
grouping,  there  is  little  or  nothing  to  suggest  high  church 
views,  and  no  provision  for  festivals  or  sacraments.  The 
outstanding  feature  of  the  collection  is  indeed  the  submis- 

"'Ibid.,  vol.  i,  p.  385. 

'"Ibid.,  vol.  i,  p.  230  n. 

-^Ibid.,  vol.  i,  pp.  243,  259,  269  n. 

^*Ibid.,  vol.  i,  pp.  257  n.,  275,  347.  Wesley  v^^as  reading  the  proofs 
in  April,  1737:  p.  349. 

"''Long  lost  to  sight,  it  was  reprinted  (though  not  in  facsimile  as 
stated)  by  Dr.  George  Osborn  in  1882,  from  what  was  supposed  to  be 
the  only  surviving  copy.  For  the  history  of  this  copy,  see  Rev.  R. 
Green,  The  Works  of  John  and  Charles  Wesley:  a  Bibliography, 
London,  1896,  p.  12,  and  additional  note  in  the  2nd  ed.,  1906,  p.  i. 
There  is  another  copy  in  the  Lenox  Collection  of  the  New  York 
Public  Library. 

""Probably  the  explanation  is  that  ".  .  .  his  Mss.  were  not  at  his 
brother's  disposal."  A.  E.  Gregory,  The  Hymn-book  of  the  Modern 
Church,  London,  1904,  p.  156. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     227 

sion  of  Wesley's  chiirchliness  to  his  good  judgment  in  giving 
the  foremost  place  to  Dr.  Watts,  the  dissenter. 

Wesley  reached  England,  on  his  return,  on  February  i, 
1738;  bringing  from  Georgia  a  sense  of  spiritual  and  minis- 
terial' defeat.  He  came  into  close  affiliation  with  London 
Moravians,  and,  under  Peter  Bohler's  advice,  he,  with  his 
brother  Charles  and  others,  formed  "our  little  society"  on 
May  I,  1738,  at  the  home  and  book-shop  of  James  Hutton. 
It  afterwards  removed  to  Fetter  Lane,  and,  though  in  con- 
nection with  the  Church  of  England,  became  the  nucleus 
both  of  organized  Methodism  and  of  organized  English 
Moravianism.^^ 

It  was  no  doubt  for  the  use  of  this,  and  like  societies  at 
Bristol  and  Oxford,^^  that  John  Wesley  printed,  without 
editor's  or  publisher's  name,  his  second  hymn  book :  A  Col- 
lection of  Psalms  and  Hymns.  London:  printed  in  the 
year  1738.^^  The  little  book  is  eclectic.  The  threefold 
grouping  of  the  hymns,  intended  to  represent  the  usage  of 
"antiquity,"  is  retained  from  the  1737  book.  Watts  still 
leads,  with  36  numbers  out  of  a  total  of  76.  The  Church 
Psalmody  is  represented  by  16  of  Tate  and  Brady's  ver- 
sions; the  Prayer  Book  by  the  J'eni  Creator;  and  Bishop 
Ken's  three  hymns  may  be  included  with  these.  Mysticism 
is  represented  by  four  selections  from  Norris  of  Bemerton. 
and  Moravianism  by  four  translations  from  the  Herrnhut 
collection;  English  poetry  by  Herbert,  Dryden,  Addison 
and  Roscommon. 

With  this  little  book,  the  earlier  and  preparatory  stages 
of  Wesley's  work  for  Hymnody  are  brought  to  a  close. 
Its  contents  illustrate  and  embody  most  of  the  influences 
that  played  upon  Methodist  Hymnody  or  became  its 
sources;  except  indeed  that  it  contained  nothing  of  the  work 

■Journal,  vol.  i,  p.  458. 

^nhid.,  vol.  i,  p.  458.  ^  „         ^  .^  , 

-The  only  known  copies  are  in  the  Didsbury  College  Library  and 

the  Archepiscopal  Library   at   Lambeth.     There   is   a   full   description 

of  its  contents  in  The  Poetical  Works  of  John  and  Charles  Wesley, 

ed.  by  G.  Osborn  [13  vols.],  London,  1868  seq.,  vol.  ii,  pp.  35-42. 


228  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

of  Wesley's  father  and  brothers;  of  Charles,  notably,  whose 
great  gift  waited  for  the  deepening  of  his  spiritual  experi- 
ence and  the  inspiration  he  drew  from  the  stirring  scenes 
of  the  coming  revival. 

n 

THE  METHODIST  HYMNODY  (1739-1904) 

I.    The  "Movement,"  and  Charles  Wesley  as  Its  Poet 

While  living  in  London,  in  close  association  with  Mora- 
vians and  under  their  influence,  the  Wesleys  passed  through 
those  remarkable  spiritual  experiences  which  brought  to 
both  the  rest  and  joy  of  faith,  and  determined  their  future 
careers.  Charles  dated  his  evangelical  conversion  as  on 
Whitsunday  (May  21),  1738;  John  his  as  on  the  Wednes- 
day following  (May  24). 

Charles  began  at  once  to  proclaim  his  new  hope  to  such 
friends  as  would  hear  him,  and  to  preach  in  the  churches, 
as  long  as  they  would  receive  him.  In  the  summer  of  1739 
he  entered  that  itinerant  ministry,  in  Whitefield's  way,  that 
during  seventeen  years  carried  him  through  England  and 
Wales,  and  twice  into  Ireland.  John  first  visited  the  Mora- 
vians at  Herrnhut.  Returning  in  September,  1738,  he 
found  his  immediate  sphere  in  the  "Religious  Societies," 
more  or  less  Moravian  in  complexion,  which  in  London 
and  elsewhere  supplemented  the  Church  services  with  less 
formal  devotions.  To  these  meetings  he  preached  his  new 
way  of  "saving-faith" ;  teaching  them  to  sing  the  hymns  he 
had  gathered  and  translated.  The  first  word  in  his  resumed 
diary,  under  the  date  of  September  20,  1738,  is  "Singing."^** 
In  the  spring  of  1739  he  went  to  Bristol  at  Whitefield's 
entreaty,  to  carry  on  the  work  already  begun  there,  and  on 
May  12  laid  the  corner-stone  of  "The  New  Room,"  really 
the  first   Methodist   Chapel.      Late  in  the  same  year  he 

^"Journal,  vol.  ii,  p.  75;  and  see  p.  71,  note. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     229 

founded  at  London  his  own  "United  Society,"  and  on 
November  1 1  first  preached  in  the  disused  King's  Foundery 
in  Moorfields,  which,  purchased  and  refitted,  became  the 
headquarters  of  Methodism.  From  this  year  Wesley 
ordinarily  counted  the  foundation  of  the  Methodist  So- 
cieties. 

In  this  memorable  year  appeared  the  third  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  hymn  collections,  the  first  to  bear  the  name  of  either 
brother,  as  Hymns  and  sacred  Poems.  Published  by  John 
Wesley,  M.A.  Fellow  of  Lincoln  College,  Oxford;  and 
Charles  Wesley,  M.A.  Student  of  Christ-Church,  Oxford. 
[Colossians  iii.  16].  London:  printed  by  William  Strahan; 
and  sold  by  James  Hutfon,  Bookseller,  at  the  Bible  and 
Sun,  without  Temple-Bar;  and  at  Mr.  Bray's,  a  Bramer  in 
Little-Britain.  MDCCXXXIX.  Of  this  there  were  three 
editions  within  the  year,  and  two  subsequently.^^  Its  con- 
tents are  in  two  parts,  containing  64  and  75  pieces,  some 
of  them  hymns  for  singing,  and  some  poems  for  reading. 
No  less  than  42  are  adaptations  from  George  Herbert,  and 
there  are  22  of  Wesley's  renderings  from  the  German. 
Some  "Verses"  were  included  which  "were  wrote  upon  the 
Scheme  of  the  Mystick  Divines,"  and  the  preface  of  eight 
pages  is  largely  devoted  to  a  renunciation  and  exposure  of 
their  errors. 

This  book  reflects  the  spiritual  experiences  of  the  year, 
and  is  itself  memorable  as  the  first  printing  of  hymns  from 
Charles  Wesley's  pen.  The  second  part  opens  with  a  hymn 
beginning,  "Where  shall  my  wand'ring  Soul  begin?"  This 
is  probably  the  hymn  he  commenced  the  day  after  his  con- 
version, broken  off  "for  fear  of  pride,"  but  finished  under 
the  encouragement  of  Bray  the  mechanic,  and  sung  with 
"great  joy"  when,  on  the  Wednesday  evening,  John,  came 
to  announce  his  own  faith  in  Christ.^^  It  was  thus  the  first 
hymn  of  the  Methodist  Revival.  Toward  the  close  of  the 
volume  appeared  the  fine  group  of  festival  hymns  which 

''Green,  Bibliography,  p.  15. 

'^Chas.  Wesley's  Diary,  May  23,  24,  1738. 


230  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

afterwards  helped  to  recommend  hymns  to  the  Church  of 
England.^^ 

Charles  Wesley  had  written  hymns  already,  but  with  his 
new  experience  the  fountain  of  spiritual  song  opened 
within,  which  was  never  to  fail  him.  Thenceforward  he 
became  distinctively  the  poet  of  the  new  Movement,  and 
poured  forth  psalms  and  h3anns  in  a  stream  uninterrupted 
until  his  death.  But  his  hymns  did  not  come  from  the 
cloisters.  In  the  early  years  of  the  Revival,  he  was  as 
active  and  ardent  an  evangelist  as  John  himself.  "He 
loved  the  stir,  the  tumult,  the  triumph  of  those  great  out- 
door gatherings,  where  testimony  must  be  borne  before 
mobs  which  might  at  any  time  endanger  the  property  and 
even  the  lives  of  preacher  and  hearers  .  .  .  [He]  was 
moved  to  his  highest  flights  of  praise  by  hard-won  victories 
amongst  his  wild  hearers  in  Cornwall,  or  Moorfields,  at 
Kingswood,  or  Walsall. "^^  The  composition  of  the  hymns 
was  thus  closely  related  to  the  progress  of  the  Revival, 
which  they  in  turn  did  much  to  foster;  and  the  long  series 
of  books  and  tracts  in  which  they  appeared  are  an  essential 
part  of  the  Revival  records. 

The  poetical  publications  of  John  and  Charles  Wesley, 
jointly  or  separately,  cover  a  period  of  fifty-three  years,  and 
number  fifty-six  (excluding  tune-books)  ;  and  the  contents 
of  not  less  than  thirty-six  of  these  are  exclusively  original, 
with  much  original  work  appearing  in  the  collective 
volumes.  The  majority  appeared  without  name  of  author 
or  editor;  eight  under  John's  name,  three  under  Charles', 
and  six  under  their  joint  names.^^ 

^^  "Hark  how  all  the  Welkin  rings"  {Christmas-Day)  ;  "Sons  of  Men, 
behold  from  far"  {Epiphany);  "'Christ  the  Lord  is  ris'n  to  Day'" 
{Easter-Day)  ;  "Hail  the  Day  that  sees  Him  rise"  {Ascension-Day)  ; 
"Granted  is  the  Saviour's  Prayer"   {Whitsunday). 

^^Gregory,  The  Hymn  Book  of  the  Modern  Church,  p.  i6o. 

^^Of  the  numerous  short-lists  of  these  publications,  none  seems  to 
be  both  accurate  and  complete.  The  best  bibliography  is  Green's :  and 
he  contributed  to  Telford's  The  Methodist  Hymn  Book  illustrated 
(2nd  ed.  rev.,  London,  n.  d.  [1909],  pp.  497  ff.)  a  convenient  list  of  the 
works  in  which  the  hymns  therein  included  first  appeared. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     231 

The  custom  afterward  grew  up  of  ascribing  to  Charles 
Wesley's  pen  not  only  the  hymns  published  under  his  name 
but  also  all  those  published  under  the  joint  names  or  anony- 
mously, excepting  only  the  translations  and  very  few  origi- 
nals admittedly  written  by  John.  Such  a  conclusion  never 
rested  on  solid  ground,  and  is  gradually  yielding  to  the 
conviction  that  John's  share  in  the  hymn  writing  was 
greater  than  had  been  supposed;  a  conviction  which  the 
recently  published  notes  of  his  diary  tend  to  strengthen. 
The  editors  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  hymn  book  of  1875 
went  so  far  as  to  affix  merely  the  letter  "W"  to  "those 
hymns  which  first  appeared  in  publications  for  which  the 
Wesleys  were  jointly  responsible"  (including  "Jesu,  Lover 
of  my  Soul"  under  this  category)  ;  on  the  ground  that  "it 
cannot  be  determined  with  certainty  to  which  of  the  two 
brothers  a  hymn  should  be  ascribed."^^  This  course  proved 
very  unwelcome  to  Methodists,^^  and  has  since  been  de- 
parted from.  But  the  uncertainty  remains  none  the  less. 
There  is  some  evidence  that  the  brothers  agreed  not  to 
distinguish  their  several  contributions  of  the  hymns  pub- 
lished jointly.^^  It  is  however  to  be  noted  that  this  uncer- 
tainty pertains  chiefly  to  the  early  publications,  and  that  as 
the  Revival  progressed,  John  grew  content  to  leave  the 
hymn  writing  to  his  brother,  and  also  that,  in  giving  its 
permanent  form  to  Methodist  Hymnody,  he  admitted  that 
"but  a  small  part  of  these  hymns  is  of  my  own  com- 
posing."^^ 

The  brothers  cooperated  again  in  a  second  collection  of 
Hymns  and  sacred  Poems,  1740.  Its  title-page,  barring 
the  date,  is  identical  with  that  of  1739,  with  whose  later 
editions  it  was  incorporated.     It  added  to  English  Hym- 

^"Note  prefixed  to  "Index  to  the  Hymns." 

''See  Telford,  The  Meth.  Hy.  Bk.  illus.,  p.  12. 

^^See  David  Creamer,  Methodist  Hymnology,  New  York,  1848,  p. 
18;  Osborn,  The  Poetical  Works,  vol.  viii,  p.  xv. 

'"John  Wesley's  preface  to  the  Large  Hymn  Book  of  1780.  On  the 
whole  subject  consult  Osborn,  The  Poetical  Works,  vol.  viii,  pp.  15,  16; 
Telford,  Meth.  Hy.  Bk.  illus.,  pp.  8-12;  Journal,  vol.  i,  p.  477,  note. 


232  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

nody  three  famous  hymns,  usually  ascribed  to  Charles 
Wesley:  "Jesu,  Lover  of  my  Soul,"  "O  for  a  thousand 
tongues  to  sing,"  and  "Christ,  whose  glory  fills  the  skies." 
While  not  formally  a  hymn  book  for  the  societies,  this, 
with  the  1739  volume,  contributed  not  less  than  100  hymns 
to  the  permanent  Methodist  Hymnody.  Its  contents  are 
distinctively  Methodist.  The  preface  sets  forth  Wesley's 
doctrine  of  Christian  Perfection,  There  is  a  "Hymn  for 
the  Kingswood  Colliers,"  one  "To  be  sung  in  a  Tumult," 
one  "On  admission  of  any  person  into  the  Society,"  and  a 
group  on  "The  Love-Feast."  Wesley  had  taken  an  impas- 
sioned stand  against  the  doctrine  of  Election  in  a  sermon 
published  as  Free  Grace  in  the  autumn  of  1739,  after 
Whitefield  had  gone  to  America.  Appended  was  a  long 
hymn  on  "Universal  Redemption."  This  hymn,  with  an- 
other, on  the  same  theme,  were  now  included  in  the  new 
book,  adding  to  the  great  offense  already  taken  by  White- 
field.^'^  The  sermon  and  the  hymn  led  to  the  separation 
of  the  Revival  forces  into  two  camps,  the  Calvinistic  under 
Whitefield,  the  Arminian  under  Wesley,  to  the  organization 
of  Lady  Huntingdon's  Connexion  and  of  Calvinistic  Meth- 
odism in  Wales.*^ 

In  deep  depression  at  the  defection  from  the  inmost  circle 
and  the  consequent  confusions,  the  Wesleys  printed  at 
Bristol  early  in  1741,  and  then  in  London,  a  tractate  of 
eighteen  hymns,  as  Hymns  on  God's  everlasting  love.  To 
which  is  added  the  cry  of  a  reprobate,  and  the  Horrible 
Decree,  followed  by  a  second  tractate  with  the  same  title; 
the  two  being  afterwards  combined.  The  hymns  mingle 
most  tender  appeals  with  scathing  satire  of  the  doctrines 
of  the  opposition,  described  as  "hellish"  and  "satanic,"  and 

^''"My  dear,  dear  Brethren, — Why  did  you  throw  out  the  bone  of 
contention:  Why  did  you  print  that  sermon  against  predestination? 
Why  did  you,  in  particular,  my  dear  brother  Charles,  affix  your  hymn, 
and  join  in  putting  out  your  late  hymn-book?"  Letter  of  Whitefield, 
Feb.  I,  1741.  Tyerman,  Life  of  Geo.  Whitefield,  New  York,  1877,  vol. 
i,  p.  465. 

"Tyerman,  Life  of  John  Wesley,  vol.  i,  p.  31 7- 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     233 

presented  with  little  fairness.  The  hymns  are  on  fire  with 
excitement  and  indignation  at  what  threatened  to  undo  the 
prospects  of  the  Movement.  The  Wesleys  had  the  precedent 
of  the  Reformers  in  employing  satire  and  invective  in  their 
Hymnody.  We  may  nevertheless  count  it  fortunate  that 
their  work,  immensely  effective  as  it  was  at  the  time,  was 
not  of  such  a  character  as  to  establish  a  new  precedent  for 
the  Controversial  Hymn. 

The  success  of  these  hymn  tracts,  scattered  broadcast, 
read  and  sung  in  Methodist  homes  and  societies,  is  prob- 
ably responsible  for  the  long  series  of  hymn  tracts  in  which 
further  Wesleyan  hymns  were  published.  Capable  of  being 
printed  quickly  to  meet  the  occasion,  sold  for  a  few  pence 
and  readily  bought,  the  hymn  tract  became  a  favorite  instru- 
ment for  the  inspiration  and  instruction  of  the  early  Meth- 
odists, and  for  cultivating  their  spirit  of  devotion.  The 
series  of  hymn  tracts  ran  for  fifty  years  (1741-1791),  num- 
bering not  less  than  thirty. 

A  small  group  offered  hymns  for  times  of  civil  disquiet 
and  Methodist  persecution : — Hymns  for  times  of  trouble 
and  persecution  (1744);  Hymns  for  times  of  trouble 
(n.  d.).  Hymns  zvrittcn  in  the  time  of  the  tumults  (1780). 
Another  provided  for  national  occasions  and  passing 
events — Hymns  for  the  public  Thanksgiving-Day  (1746), 
Hymns  for  Nezv  Year's  Day  (1750),  Hymns  occasioned 
by  the  Earthquake,  1750  (2  parts),  Hymns  for  the  year 
1/56,  Hymns  on  the  expected  Invasion  (1759),  and  for 
Thanksgiving,  Nov.  2^,  ly^g,  Hymns  for  the  National 
Fast,  1782,  and  two  nimibers  of  Hymns  for  the  Nation  in 
iy82.  Another  provided  for  the  festivals  of  the  old  Church 
Year: — Hymns  for  the  Nativity  (1745)  ;  and  Hymns  for 
our  Lord's  Resurrection,  for  Ascension  Day,  Hymns  of 
Petition  and  Thanksgiving  (Whitsunday),  and  Gloria  Patri 
(Trinity),  all  of  1746.  With  these  we  may  group  A  Hymn 
at  the  Sacrament  (1744),  two  numbers  of  Funeral  Hymns 
(1746,  1759),  and  Hymns  for  the  Watchnight  (1746). 
For  the  household  were  Graces  before  meat  ( 1746),  Hymns 


234  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

for  children  {1746,  1791),  and  Preparation  for  death 
(1772).  More  general  in  character  were  a  little  Collection 
of  Hymns  (1742)  for  the  poor,  Hymns  for  those  that  seek, 
and  those  that  have,  redemption  in  the  Blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  (1747,  10  editions),  the  most  important  of  them  all; 
and  Hymns  of  Intercession  ( 1 758) . 

Charles  Wesley  (for  the  bulk  of  the  work  was  his)  was 
thus  the  poet-laureate  of  Methodism,  with  an  ode  for  every 
occasion.  Such  a  companionship  of  hymns  through  pass- 
ing years  was  never  provided  before  or  since,  and  was  an 
unique  feature  in  the  upbuilding  of  Methodist  character. 
In  the  extension  also  of  the  Revival,  these  hymn  tracts, 
widely  distributed  among  the  poor  and  degraded,  played  a 
considerable  part. 

Returning  now  to  the  date  at  which  the  series  of  hymn 
tracts  began,  we  find  that  the  Wesleys  again  cooperated 
in  publishing  a  third  volume  of  Hymns  and  sacred  Poems, 
1742,  whose  preface  and  "many  of  the  following  verses" 
dealt  with  Christian  Perfection.  This  volume  contributed 
a  hundred  hymns  to  the  permanent  Methodist  Hymnody. 
A  special  interest  attaches  to  the  joint  publication  of  Hymns 
on  the  Lord's  Supper.  With  a  preface  concerning  the 
Christian  Sacrament  and  Sacrifice.  Extracted  from  Doctor 
Brevint  (Bristol,  1745).  Its  166  hymns  testify  to  the  deep 
reverence  for  the  sacramental  side  of  religion  that  charac- 
terized both  brothers,  and  the  demand  for  ten  editions 
shows  how  much  those  views  influenced  the  earlier  Meth- 
odist worship. "^^ 

Independently  of  John,  Charles  Wesley  published  by 
subscription  in  1749  Hymns  and  sacred  Poems.  In  two 
volumes.  By  Charles  Wesley,  M.A.,  Student  of  Christ- 
Church,  Oxford  (Bristol).     His  friends  took  1145  copies 

*^In  1871  the  whole  book  (together  with  John  Wesley's  earlier 
Companion  to  the  Altar)  was  reprinted  as  The  Eucharistic  Manuals 
of  John  and  Charles  Wesley.  The  aim  of  the  editor  (W.  E.  Button) 
was  to  make  it  appear  that  the  Wesleys  held  sacramental  views  in 
accord  with  those  of  the  modern  Catholic  party. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     235 

of  these  volumes, ^^  which  contain  many  acceptable  hymns, 
and  whose  profits  helped  him  to  set  up  housekeeping  at 
Bristol.  While  partly  laid  aside,  Charles  Wesley  occupied 
himself  with  writing  versified  comments  on  Scripture  texts, 
often  original,  sometimes  following  earlier  commentators. 
These,  to  the  great  number  of  2030,  he  published  as  Short 
Hymns  on  select  passages  of  the  Holy  Scripture  (2  vols., 
1763),  from  which  nearly  a  hundred  were  taken  into  Meth- 
odist Hymnody.  Four  years  later  he  printed  Hymns  for 
the  use  of  families,  and  on  various  occasions,  many  of 
which  relate  to  his  own  household  and  friendships,  and 
hallow  the  daily  life  of  the  home. 

Charles  Wesley  wrote  hymns  to  the  very  end,  and  left 
behind  him  in  manuscript  three  small  quarto  volumes  of 
hymns  and  sacred  poems,  an  uncompleted  metrical  version 
of  the  Psalms  and  five  quarto  volumes  of  hymns  on  the 
Gospels  and  Acts.'*^  The  Psalms  were  printed  in  The 
Arminian  Magazine,  and  all  have  been  printed  with  pious 
care  in  Dr.  Osborn's  edition  of  The  Poetical  Works.  It  is 
the  great  number  of  the  short  hymns  on  Scripture  texts 
that  accounts  for  the  vast  total  of  Charles  Wesley's  work. 

2.     Hymn  Books  for  "The  People  Called  Methodists" 

Most  of  the  books  and  tracts  we  have  enumerated  as 
those  in  which  the  Wesleyan  Hymns  first  appeared  were 
used  to  sing  from  in  the  revival  services,  societies,  bands 
or  classes.  A  number  are  to  be  regarded  as  hymn  books. 
But  from  the  first  establishment  of  Sunday,  as  w^ell  as 
weekday,  services  Wesley  felt  the  necessity  of  providing 
hymn  books  that  should  be  cheap,  compact,  and  sufficiently 
inclusive.  The  earliest  of  these  was  A  Collection  of  Psalms 
and  Hymns.  Published  by  John  Wesley,  M.A.  (London, 
1 741)  ;  sold  at  one  shilling  in  binding,  and  containing  152 
pieces.  This  was  kept  in  print  during  the  whole  of  Wesley's 
life,  remaining  in  use  till  superseded  by  the  Supplement 

'^Telford,  Life  of  Charles  Wesley,  p.  248. 

**Cf.  Jackson,  Life  of  Charles  Wesley,  vol.  ii,  p.  457. 


236  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

of  183 1.  An  abridgment  of  it  was  bound  up  with  The 
Sunday  Service  of  1784,  and  used  in  congregations  employ- 
ing that  service.^^  In  1753  he  pubHshed  Hymns  and 
Spiritual  Songs,  intended  for  the  use  of  real  Christians  of 
all  denominations,  made  up  entirely  of  selections  from  the 
Hymns  and  sacred  Poems  of  1739,  1740  and  1742,  This 
became  distinctively  the  Methodist  hymn  book,  remaining 
in  common  use  till  the  appearance  of  "The  Large  Hymn 
Book"  of  1780,  and  in  poorer  societies  long  afterward.  A 
volume  of  Select  Hymns  was  also  published  in  1761  with 
tunes,  and  in  1773  printed  without  the  tunes.  In  Wesley's 
judgment  the  societies  were  thus  amply  supplied  with  hymn 
books;  "so  that  it  may  be  doubted  whether  any  religious 
community  in  the  world  has  a  greater  variety  of 
them."  ^« 

Yet  this  very  variety  was  an  inconvenience  to  people  who 
could  not  afford  to  buy  so  many  books,  but  wished  for 
more  of  the  hymns  than  any  one  volume  contained.  An 
urgent  demand  arose  for  a  more  inclusive  collection.  Wes- 
ley resisted  it  for  years.  But  after  the  opening  of  the  City 
Road  Chapel  in  1778  he  yielded,  and  began  his  prepara- 
tions. The  new  book  was  announced  on  the  cover  of  The- 
Arminian  Magadnc  for  October,  1779,  and  appeared  in 
1780  as  A  Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  the  People 
called  Methodists.  London:  printed  by  J.  Paramorc,  at  the 
Foundery:  with  the  now  famous  preface,  dated  Oct.  20, 
1779,  and  signed  by  John  Wesley.  It  was  published  at 
three  shillings,  and  contained  525  hymns;  all  taken  from 
the  brothers'  previous  publications,  and  all  but  ten  written 
by  members  of  the  Wesley  family.  They  were  grouped 
under  the  heads  of  Christian  experience,  and  designed  to 
constitute  "a  little  body  of  experimental  and  practical 
divinity."  '*^ 

This  collection  became  at  once  the  book  of  common  song 

*'C/.  Green,  Bibliography,  nos.  30,  376,  378. 

"Preface  of   1779- 

"Preface. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     237 

in  Methodist  congregations.^^  After  Wesley's  death  it  was 
tampered  with  by  the  manager  of  the  Methodist  PubHsh- 
ing  House,  who  made  a  succession  of  alterations,'  beginning 
with  the  1793  edition,  and  culminating  in  that  of  1797,^^ 
which  dropped  24  hymns  Wesley  had  chosen,  and  added  65 
(including  "Jesu,  Lover  of  my  Soul")  which  he  had  not 
included.  The  Conference  of  1799  appointed  a  committee 
"to  reduce  the  large  Hymn  Book  to  its  primitive  simplicity 
as  published  in  the  second  edition,"^"'  which  was  attempted, 
partly  then,  and  partly  later,  but  never  carried  out  in 
strictness.  In  183 1  some  changes  were  made,  and  a  "Sup- 
plement" added.  This  served  until  1875,  when  the  book 
was  revised,  and  "A  new  Supplement"  added,  nearly  as 
large  as  the  original  Collcction.^'^  It  was  not  until  1900, 
one  hundred  and  nine  years  after  Wesley's  death,  that  steps 
were  taken,  even  then  reluctantly,  for  a  thorough  revision 
and  remodelling  of  Wesley's  Collection.  The  revision  was 
made  largely  in  the  spirit  of  catholicity,  to  which  even  the 
fervor  of  Wesleyanism  has  been  compelled  to  bow,  and 
the  new  book  appeared  in  1904  as  The  Methodist  Hymn 
BookJ'"  For  the  first  time  the  name  of  John  Wesley  dis- 
appears from  the  title  of  the  hymn  book,  and  his  arrange- 
ment of  the  hymns  is  given  up;  but  even  so  nearly  one  half 
of  the  contents  is  ascribed  to  Charles.  The  whole  number 
of  hymns  is  981,  and  some  300  are  of  the  XlXth  century. 


*^The  Morning  Hymn  Book  also  continued  to  be  used,  in  accordance 
with  Wesley's  preference  for  hymns  of  thanksgiving  and  prayer  rather 
than  hymns  describing  inward  states  for  use  ir;  public  worship.  Cf. 
"Early  Methodist  Psalmody"  in  A  New  History  of  Methodism,  ed.  by 
J.  W.  Townsend  et  al.,  London,  1909,  vol.  ii,  p.  561. 

■"Tor  the  editions,  see  Green,  Bibliography,  No.  348. 

'"Wesley  had,  however,  made  "corrections"  for  the  3rd  ed.,   1782. 

'^'The  edition  of  1831  is  fully  annotated  in  Geo.  J.  Stevenson,  The 
Methodist  Hyvin  Book  and  its  associations,  London,  1869:  that  of 
1875  in  his  The  Methodist  Hymn  Book  illustrated,  London,  2nd  ed., 
1894. 

''"For  an  interesting  account  of  the  method  of  revision,  see  Telford, 
The  Methodist  Hymn  Book  illustrated,  London,  n.  d.,  pp.  12-14.  Tel- 
ford does  for  the  new  book  what  Stevenson  did  for  the  old. 


238  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

As  Charles  Wesley  wrote  hymns,  so  John  compiled  hymn 
books,  to  the  end  of  his  life.  A  Collection  of  Psalms  and 
Hymns  for  the  Lord's  Day  (1784)  has  been  referred  to  as 
bound  up  with  The  Sunday  Service.  In  spite  of  the  fulness 
of  the  Collection  of  1780,  it  appeared,  to  Wesley's  vexation, 
that  societies  were  using  hymns  he  had  not  authorized. 
This  was  largely  through  the  agency  of  Robert  Spence,  a 
York  bookseller.  He  published  in  1781  A  Collection  of 
Hymns  from  various  authors,  enlarged  as  A  Pocket  Hymn 
Book,  designed  as  a  constant  companion  for  the  pious:  col- 
lected from  various  authors.  A  large  proportion  of  the 
hymns  were  taken  without  authority  or  acknowledgment 
from  various  Wesley  publications.  Apparently  to  offset  it, 
and  also  to  include  some  good  hymns  omitted  from  the  1 780 
Collection,  but  widely  called  for,^^  Wesley  published  in 
1785  A  Pocket  Hymn  Book,  for  the  use  of  Christians  of 
all  denominations.  It  was  not  reprinted,  but  under  the 
advice  of  Conference  Wesley  reprinted  the  Spence  book 
in  1787  (London:  printed  by  J.  Paramore;  with  the  same 
title  as  that  of  1785),  expunging  37  hymns  as  dull  and 
prosaic,  or  "grievous  doggerel."  Spence  submitted  to  Wes- 
ley's authority,^*  but  his  little  book  afterward  became  a 
favorite  in  America. 

In  extreme  old  age,  Wesley  published  his  last  collection, 
Hymns  for  children  (1790),  chosen  from  his  brother's 
Hymns  for  children  and  others  of  riper  years  (1763). 
These  hymns  show  that  the  Wesleys  were  minded  to  carry 
on  the  Children's  Hymnody  Watts  had  begun,  but  many 
are  beyond  a  child's  comprehension.  In  an  interesting 
little  preface  Wesley  contrasts  Watts'  method  of  writing 
down  to  the  child's  level  with  his  brother's  efforts  to  lift  up 
the  child  to  his  own: — his  brother's  hymns  are  "in  such 
plain  and  easy  language  as  even  children  may  understand; 
but  when  they  do  understand  them  they  will  be  children 
no  longer." 

"Preface. 

"Tyerman,  John  Wesley,  vol.  iii,  p.  539. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     239 
III 
THE  METHODIST  SINGING 

I.     John  Wesley  as  Music-Master 

Wesley  gave  the  same  forethought  and  attention  to  the 
musical  as  to  the  literary  side  of  Methodist  Song,  keeping 
its  direction  in  his  own  hands.  His  equipment  for  this 
undertaking  was  his  sound  musical  feeling,  a  very  limited 
technical  knowledge,  and  an  unusual  practical  sense.  Per- 
ceiving the  importance  of  the  Hymn  Tune  to  the  purpose 
he  had  in  view,  he  provided  a  body  of  "authorized"  hymn 
tunes,  and  expected  that  none  other  should  be  sung  by 
his  followers.  His  cardinal  principle  was  that  the  tunes" 
should  invite  the  participation  of  all  the  people;  and,  next, 
should  keep  within  the  limits  of  sobriety  and  reverence.^ 
The  tunes  were  to  express  the  words,  avoiding  "vain 
repetitions"  to  fill  out  the  music.  Florid  and  fuguing  tunes 
he  likened  to  "Lancashire  hornpipes. "^^ 

Wesley  prepared  four  Methodist  tune  books,  and  perhaps 
consented  to  the  use  of  two  more.  As  early  as  1742  he 
printed  A  Collection  of  Tunes,  set  to  music,  as  they  are 
commonly  sung  at  the  Foundery.^^  The  hymns  set  are  those 
of  the  three  volumes  of  Hymns  and  sacred  Poems.  Its 
price  of  six  pence  was  intended  to  make  it  available  to  the 
poor;  and  in  printing  the  melody  alone  he  appealed  to  the 
unskillful.  The  book  was  so  full  of  musical  errors  as  to 
defeat  its  own  end,  but  is  interesting  as  showing  the  tunes 
first  used  at  the  Foundery.  There  are  only  three  of  the  Old 
Version  psalm  tunes.  Very  few  of  these  remained  in  the 
actual  use  of  parish  churches,  and  these  were  inevitably 
associated  with  the  dull,  drawling  parochial  Psalmody.  The 
tunes  of  the  Supplement  to  the  New  Version  were  freely 
drawn   upon;   six   German   melodies,    which   Wesley   had 

^^Minutes  of  Conference,  1768. 

"A  reprint  was  bound  up  with  that  of  the  Charleston  collection 
of   1737. 


240  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

sung  with  the  Moravians,  were  taken  from  Freyhng- 
hausen's  Gcsang-Buch;  and  some  eleven  tunes  were  appar- 
ently new.^'^ 

The  conversion  in  1746  of  Mrs.  Rich,  wife  of  the  pro- 
prietor of  Co  vent  Garden  Theater,  put  Charles  Wesley  in 
touch  with  the  London  musical  circle  in  which  J.  F.  Lampe, 
Handel  and  others  moved. ^"^  Handel  set  three  of  Charles' 
hymns  to  music.  Lampe  published  a  musical  setting  of 
twenty-four  as  Hymns  on  the  great  Festivals,  and  other 
occasions  (London,  1746;  4to).  Handel's  tunes  were  not 
printed:  Lampe's  were  generally  admired,  and  their  use 
was  "allowed"  in  Methodist  services.  The  store  of  Meth- 
odist tunes  was  increased  by  the  adaptation  of  popular 
melodies  and  by  local  tunes  which  Wesley  came  upon  in  his 
travels. ^^ 

Some  of  these  tunes,  with  others,  were  gathered  together 
by  Thomas  Butts,  a  companion  of  the  Wesley s,  in  his  Har- 
monia  Sacra  (c.  1753).  Wesley  commended  this  book,  but 
objected  to  its  more  florid  tunes,  which  he  thought  irrev- 
erent, and  its  old  Psalm  tunes,  which  he  thought  dull.  Wes- 
ley's own  Sacred  Melody,  published  in  1761,  to  bind  up 
with  the  Select  Hymns  of  that  year,  is  little  more  than  an 
amended  reproduction  of  Butts'  book,  omitting  the  objec- 
tionable tunes.  The  102  tunes  of  Sacred  Melody  represent 
all  those  in  use  with  Wesley's  approval.^"  A  class  of  tunes 
of  a  more  florid  type,  and  characterized  by  much  repetition 
of  the  words  and  breaking  up  of  the  lines,  came  into  such 
wide  popularity  later  that  they  were  known  in  time  as  "The 
Old  Methodist  Tunes."  As  a  matter  of  fact  these  tunes 
represented   the  taste  of   the   later   eighteenth   century   in 

"Cf.  J.  T.  Lightwood,  Hymn  Tunes  and  their  story,  London,  n.  d. 
pp.  121-125. 

"Telford,  Charles  Wesley,  pp.  150-154,  230-234. 

'Tightwood,  op.  cit.,  p.  128. 

^  "All  the  tunes  in  common  use  among  us."  Wesley's  preface.  For 
a  good  characterization  of  the  contents  of  Sacred  Melody,  see  "Early 
Methodist  Psalmody"  in  A  new  History  of  Methodism,  vol.  ii,  appendix 

C,  pp.  558-560. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     241 

general  and  not  of  the  Methodists  in  particular  as  distin- 
guished either  from  churchmen  or  dissenters.^^ 

In  speaking  of  the  actual  Methodist  tunes  Wesley  says 
in  the  preface  to  his  Sacred  Melody  of  1761  that  he  had 
been  engaged  for  twenty  years  endeavoring  to  persuade 
musicians  to  follow  his  directions  in  setting  down  the  tunes, 
but  in  vain.  He  has  at  last  prevailed,  and  the  tunes  are 
here  "pricked  true,  exactly  as  I  desire  all  our  congregations 
may  sing  them."  In  this  book  appeared  Wesley's  "Direc- 
tions for  Singing,"  to  be  observed  carefully  in  order  that 
"this  part  of  Divine  worship  may  be  the  more  acceptable 
to  God,  as  well  as  more  profitable"  to  singer  and  hearer. 
These  seven  rules  became  canonical,  and  are,  briefly :  "Learn 
these  tunes  before  any  others;  sing  them  exactly  as  printed; 
sing  all  of  them;  sing  lustily;  sing  modestly;  sing  in  time; 
above  all  sing  spiritually,  with  an  eye  to  God  in  every 
word."  They  exhibit  the  practical  mind  and  indomitable 
will  of  Wesley  covering  the  minutest  details  of  Methodist 
Song.  And  both  Wesley's  Journal  and  the  minutes  of  the 
Annual  Conferences  show  how  closely  the  observance  of 
these  rules  was  looked  after,  and  any  breach  of  them  in 
spirit  or  letter  detected. 

2.     The  New  Type  of  Congregational  Song 

Behind  these  regulations  there  was  a  marked  spontaneity 
in  the  early  Methodist  singing.  It  was  the  utterance  of 
simple  and  unlettered  hearts  in  whom  the  Wesleyan  evangel 
had  awakened  a  great  happiness.  They  sang  because  their 
overcharged  feelings  could  not  keep  from  singing.  The 
new  hymns  both  fed  and  expressed  the  new  feelings;  and 
the  thrill  of  spiritual  passion  leaped  from  heart  to  heart  of 
a  great  concourse  singing  together  "Blow  ye  the  trumpet, 
blow,"  "O  for  a  thousand  tongues  to  sing,"  or  "Soldiers  of 
Christ,  arise." 

This  Methodist  Song  in  its  spiritual  spontaneity,  its 
fervor  and  its  gladness,  fulfilled  to  a  remarkable  degree  the 

°^C/.  Lightwood,  op.  cit.,  chaps,  v  and  viii. 


242  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Apostolic  ideal  of  Christian  Song;  and  the  injunctions  of 
Wesley  inevitably  recall  the  figure  of  St.  Paul,  striving 
not  to  stimulate  so  much  as  to  regulate  the  "tongues,"  and 
dealing  prudently  with  their  excesses  and  infelicities.  The 
Methodist  excesses  at  the  first  were  simply  the  noise  of  too 
much  physical  exuberance  and  the  confusions  inevitable  to 
singers  musically  ignorant.  Wesley  instructed  his  preach- 
ers to  interrupt  the  noisy  hymn,  and  interpolate  questions 
to  the  congregation: — "Now  do  you  know  what  you  said 
last?  Did  it  suit  your  case?  Did  you  sing  it  as  to  God, 
with  the  spirit  and  understanding  also?"'^^  The  ignorant, 
he  insisted,  should  be  taught  to  sing  by  note  and  accept- 
ably.^^ On  their  behalf  he  himself  published  two  tractates : 
A  short  Introduction  to  Music,  and  The  Grounds  of  vocal 
Music.  Refined,  scholarly,  of  Anglican  training  and  with 
churchly  sympathies,  neither  of  the  Wesleys  conceived  or 
abetted  congregational  song  that  was  vulgar  in  its  literary 
contents  or  flippant  in  music  or  indecorous  in  expression. 
They  cultivated  a  Hymnody  that  should  be  reverently  and 
decently  ordered  without  any  sacrifice  of  its  heartiness. 

As  time  went  on  the  excesses  of  exuberance  naturally  less- 
ened, and  were  followed  by  the  creeping  in  of  formality. 
Wesley  thought  slow  singing  in  itself  tended  to  formality, 
doubtless  having  in  mind  the  droning  of  the  psalms  in  parish 
churches  of  the  time.*^^  But  a  new  danger  arose  with 
the  formation  of  a  body  of  "Singers"  to  lead  the  worship  of 
the  chapels.  The  singing  originally  had  required  little 
leadership.  Until  the  hymns  were  familiar  or  the  people 
could  read,  the  lines  were  read  out,  and  the  tune  started  by 
the  preacher  or  any  one  available.  As  hymn  and  tune  grew 
familiar,  they  sounded  forth  impulsively.  But  with  church 
organization  came  the  choir;  and,  with  the  choir,  first  the 
more  intricate  tune,  then  the  anthem,  and  finally  the  organ. 
The  Minutes  of  1768  protest  against  the  florid  tunes. 
Those  of    1787  prohibit  the  introduction  of  anthems,  as 

"^Minutes  of  Conference,  1746. 

^'Minutes,  1765.  ^*Minutes,  1768. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     243 

not  properly  joint  worship.  In  1796  an  exception  was 
allowed  on  special  occasions.  On  such  occasions,  it 
appears  from  the  Minutes  of  1800,  even  "theatrical" 
singers  had  been  introduced  into  the  chapels  to  sing 
elaborate  solos  and  choruses.  A  few  years  later  Richard 
A'Vatson  printed  a  pamphlet  on  Singing  Men  and  Women, 
rebuking  them  as  a  class  for  unduly  magnifying  their 
office."^ 

The  question  of  instrumental  music  had  little  import 
during  Wesley's  life.  In  the  open  air  meetings  the  great 
volume  of  sound  would  have  drowned  out  any  accompani- 
ment, as  it  often  drowned  out  the  voices  of  those  sent  to 
break  up  the  meetings.  And  in  none  of  the  chapels  were 
the  circumstances  of  the  people  such  as  to  make  likely  any 
proposal  to  install  an  organ.  The  bass-viol  seems  to  have 
been  first  introduced,  as  a  support  to  the  leader's  voice.  The 
clarionet  and  other  instruments  followed,  as  was  the  custom 
in  the  parish  churches  also.  Not  more  than  three  chapels 
introduced  the  organ  while  Wesley  lived.*^*^  The  Minutes 
of  1796  prohibit  organs  until  proposed  by  the  Conference. 
The  Minutes  of  1808  show  that  some  had  already  been 
introduced,  but  consent  is  refused  to  the  erection  of  any 
more.  The  introduction  of  an  organ  in  Brunswick  Chapel, 
Leeds,  produced  bitter  controversy  and  a  secession  of 
"Protestant  Methodists,"  whose  protest  was  against  instru- 
mental music.  Daniel  Isaac's  Vocal  Melody,  or,  Singing 
the  only  music  sanctioned  by  divine  authority,  in  the  public 
zvorship  of  Christians  (York,  1827),  reveals  in  its  title  the 
ground  of  this  protest;  although  Isaac  himself  refused  to 
join  the  seceders.  In  this,  as  in  much  beside,  the  Church 
Song  of  Methodism  has  since  yielded  to  modern  influences. 
Practically  all  of  the  9,000  churches  of  Wesleyan  Meth- 
odism in  England  to-day  have  their  organ  and  choir  f~  and 
in  1910  a  monthly  periodical.  The  Choir,  was  established 

'"Curwen,  Worship  Music,  ist  series,  p.  57. 
"M  new  History  of  Methodism,  vol.  i,  p.  515 
^^The  Choir  for  January,  1910,  p.  i. 


244  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

in  the  interests  of  Methodist  church  music.  The  congrega- 
tional singing  of  present  day  Methodism  has  also  exchanged 
something  of  its  early  fervor  for  the  more  tempered  enthu- 
siasm that  comes  with  years  and  educational  progress. 
But  it  still  retains  a  certain  characteristic  flavor  of  its  own; 
a  certain  potentiality  also  of  regaining  the  old  warmth  and 
volume  under  the  stimulus  of  revival  preaching. 


IV 

THE  PART  OF  THE  WESLEYS  IN  THE  DEVELOP- 
MENT OF  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

It  is  evident  that  a  place  must  be  given  to  the  Wesleyan 
Hymnody  in  the  history  of  religion  itself.  The  Wesleys 
inaugurated  a  great  spiritual  revival;  and  their  hymns  did 
as  much  as  any  human  agency  to  kindle  and  replenish  its 
fervor.  They  conducted  the  propaganda  of  a  new  theology : 
w^e  can  scan  Wesley's  sermons  to  discover  its  contents,  but 
in  the  hymns  it  was  sung  by  multitudes;  and  of  the  two 
media  of  its  dissemination,  the  song  was  probably  the  more 
effective.  John  Wesley  led  an  ecclesiastical  revolt,  and, 
failing  to  conquer  his  own  Church,  established  a  new  one 
of  phenomenal  proportions :  the  hymns  prefigured  the  con- 
stitution of  the  new  Church  and  formed  the  manual  of 
its  spiritual  discipline.  The  Wesleyan  Hymns  are  thus 
deeply  written  into  the  religious  history  of  English-speaking 
peoples.  We  might  sum  up  the  Wesleys'  work  in  Hymnody 
by  saying  that  they  perceived  the  spiritual  possibilities  of 
hymns  and  of  hymn  singing,  and  that  they  realized  them, 
apparently  to  the  full. 

With  this  glimpse  toward  the  wider  bearings  of  their 
work,  it  remains  nevertheless  to  estimate  more  precisely  the 
place  and  importance  of  the  Wesleys  in  the  history  of  the 
English  Hymn  and  the  extension  of  hymn  singing.  It  will 
be  convenient  to  regard  their  work  as : — 

I.  A  great  enrichment  of  the  stores  of  English  Hymns. — 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     245 

The  work  of  Charles  Wesley  as  a  hymn  writer  attained 
vast  proportions,  including  some  6,500  hymns.  In  dis- 
tinguishing major  from  minor  poets,  it  is  customary  to 
regard  the  mere  bulk  of  an  author's  production  as  an  evi- 
dence of  power  and  an  element  of  impressiveness.  The 
same  consideration  doubtless  applies  to  hymn  writers.  But 
in  Charles  Wesley's  case  his  inventiveness  and  facility  were 
coupled  with  a  total  inability  for  self-criticism.  The  in- 
ward impulse  to  give  rhythmical  expression  to  convictions 
and  feelings  hardened  into  a  habit.  And  this,  stimulated 
by  the  assurance  of  an  eager  welcome  for  anything  he 
might  publish,  led  him  to  produce  a  considerable  body  of 
material  in  no  way  worthy  of  his  own  powers. 

But  for  all  practical  purposes  the  contribution  of  Charles 
Wesley  to  devotional  poetry  was  confined  to  the  limits  of 
the  selection  made  by  his  brother  John  for  the  Methodist 
Collection  of  1780,  and  its  supplements.  The  pamphlets 
and  volumes  in  which  the  hymns  originally  appeared  were 
allowed  to  go  out  of  print,  and  dropped  out  of  sight;  and 
some  part  of  his  work  remained  unpublished.  The  Meth- 
odists were  so  well  satisfied  with  their  hymn  book  as  to  be 
incurious  as  regards  the  outlying  material.  Moreover, 
Charles  Wesley  had  remained  a  consistent  churchman  to 
the  end.  He  had  controverted  many  of  his  brother's 
opinions,  and  protested  against  his  whole  course  in  estab- 
lishing an  independent  Methodist  Church.  Loyalty  to  John 
Wesley's  memory  left  the  Methodists  indisposed  toward  any 
attempt  to  magnify  the  name  or  reputation  of  Charles.  His 
family  deemed  it  prudent  to  keep  his  manuscripts  and  family 
papers  in  careful  custody,  and  it  was  not  till  after  Miss 
Wesley's  death  in  1828  that  they  passed  into  the  possession 
of  the  Wesleyan  Conference. "^^  No  adequate  biography  of 
Charles  Wesley  was  written  until  1841.  No  attempt  was 
made  to  collect  the  numerous  poetical  publications,  or  even 
to  prepare  any  connected  account  of  them,  until  1848,  when 
an  American,  Joseph  Creamer  of  Baltimore,  published  his 

^'See  Jackson,  Life  of  Charles  Wesley,  preface. 


246  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Methodist  Hymnology.^^  The  whole  body  of  the  Wesleyan 
Hymns  was  not  collected  and  printed  until  in  1868- 1872 
the  London  Conference  Office  published  The  Poetical 
Works  of  John  and  Charles  Wesley  in  thirteen  i2mo 
volumes. 

But  while  in  this  way  the  presentation  of  Charles  Wes- 
ley's work  as  a  whole  was  deferred,  and  his  actual  contri- 
bution to  Hymnody  narrowed  down  to  the  contents  of  the 
Methodist  Collection,  even  so  that  contribution  was  un- 
precedentedly  large.  Even  in  the  first  edition  the  number 
of  hymns  counted  as  his  was  about  as  large  as-  in  the  entire 
System  of  Praise  of  Dr.  Watts,  and  in  the  revision  of 
1875  it  attained  the  great  total  of  724  hymns.  The  whole 
number  of  these  hymns  must  be  regarded  as  having  come 
into  actual  use.  H  any  escaped  being  sung,  it  was  never- 
theless read  devotionally.  After  a  century  and  a  quarter 
the  revisers  of  1904  speak  of  "the  delicate  task  of  removing 
hymns  from  "Wesley's  original  book,"'''^  and  their  new 
Methodist  Hymn  Book  retains  429  hymns  ascribed  to 
Charles  Wesley.  His  whole  contribution  to  English  Hym- 
nody cannot  therefore  be  estimated  in  figures  smaller  than 
these,  and  the  number  of  his  hymns  in  actual  use  to-day  has 
been  estimated  as  500.^^ 

Beside  such  figures  the  contribution  of  John  Wesley  is 
relatively  small.  His  share  in  writing  the  original  hymns 
cannot  now  be  determined.  In  the  Collection  of  1780. 
twenty-seven  numbers  are  admittedly  his,  mostly  renderings 
from  the  German.  These,  though  few,  give  him  an  unique 
place  as  a  hymn  writer  at  the  head  of  the  small  band  who 
have  transferred  foreign  hymns  so  deftly  that  they  breathe 
naturally  under  English  skies.  A  number  of  them  may 
fairly  be  included  among  the  classics  of  English  Hymnody. 

"'The  Wesleyan  Hymnology  of  Rev.  Wm.  P.  Burgess  (London, 
1845,  2nd  ed.  1846),  was  simply  "A  Companion  to  the  Wesleyan  Hymn 
Book,"  with  brief  remarks  on  the  hymns,  intended  to  promote  their 
profitable  use. 

'"Preface  to  the  Meth  Hy.  Bk.,  p.  iv. 

"Gregory,  op.  cit.,  p.  165. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     247 

But  John  Wesley,  in  connection  with  the  exercise  of  the 
new  function  of  an  Administrator  of  hymn  singing,  stands 
related  to  the  whole  body  of  the  Wesleyan  Hymns  as  their 
editor.  The  editor's  function  is  at  all  times  essential  to 
the  well-being  of  Congregational  Praise,  and  Wesley  was 
the  first  of  note  in  the  long  line  of  English  hymnal  com- 
pilers. He  exercised  his  function  autocratically,  but  on 
the  whole  with  distinguished  success.  Charles  Wesley's 
hymns  owe  much  to  the  strong  hand  of  his  brother,  not 
only  for  the  winnowing  they  so  much  needed,  but  for  the 
verbal  revision  to  which  he  subjected  them  insistently,  be- 
fore their  first  appearing  and  after  it.  His  entire  freedom 
in  this  respect  has  been  regarded  as  inconsistent  with  the 
protest  in  the  preface  of  the  Collection  against  the  alteration 
of  his  own  or  his  brother's  hymns  by  other  hands.  "I 
desire,"  he  says,  "they  would  not  attempt  to  mend  them; 
for  they  really  are  not  able.  None  of  them  is  able  to  mend 
either  the  sense  or  the  verse."''^^  There  is  nothing  in  the 
protest  inconsistent  with  the  practice.  Wesley  sincerely 
believed  he  could  improve  other  people's  hymns,  whether 
Watts'  or  his  brother's,  and  along  with  this  self-confidence 
had  a  total  lack  of  confidence  in  the  ability  of  other  "hymn- 
tinkerers."  The  results  in  his  case  went  far  to  justify  the 
self-confidence.  Unhappily  the  practice  rather  than  the 
protest  established  a  precedent  for  an  editorial  custom  of 
"tinkering"  hymns  which  afterward  went  to  great  lengths, 
and  only  too  often  failed  to  justify  itself. 
^  2.  The  work  of  the  Wesleys  modified  the  ideal  of  the 
English  Hymn  itself,  both  on  its  spiritual  and  literary  sides, 
and  established  nezv  types  of  hymns. — No  one  can  turn  from 
the  earlier  hymns  to  the  Wesleyan  without  being  conscious 
of  a  change  of  atmosphere,  a  heightening  of  emotion,  a 
novelty  of  theme,  a  new  manner  of  expression. 
^  (i).  This  change  reveals  itself,  first,  through  a  nezv  evan- 
gelistic note  in  the  hymns.    In  the  quiet  of  his  study  Watts 

"Both    Whitefield    and    Toplady    were    among   those    who    in    their 
published  hymn  books  had  already  offended  in  this  direction. 


248  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

had  aimed  to  improve  the  character  of  the  Service  of  Praise. 
The  Wesley s  struck  a  new  note, — the  proclamation  of  an 
unlimited  atonement  and  free  gospel,  with  the  yearning 
cry  of  the  field  preacher  to  "all  that  pass  by."  They 
sounded  it  in  revival  hymns,  directly  addressed  to  sinners, 
and  glowing  with  the  exhorter's  excitement.  They  aimed 
to  bring  the  unchurched  and  unsaved  within  the  sound  of 
the  gospel,  and  to  use  song  as  a  means  of  his  conversion  and 
upbuilding.  And  so,  when  the  hymns  were  gathered  into 
the  Methodist  Collection,  the  first  section  of  the  book  bore 
the  title,  "Exhorting  and  Entreating  to  return  to  God." 

The  Wesleys  may  be  said  to  have  introduced  the  Evange- 
listic Hymn,  as  we  use  that  term  to-day.  Their  lead  was 
more  or  less  followed  through  the  whole  breadth  of  the 
Evangelical  Revival,  and  by  the  extending  line  of  latter- 
day  revivalists.  There  will  always  be  some  to  contend  that 
evangelistic  hymns  should  be  confined  to  revival  meetings 
as  distinguished  from  the  Church's  stated  worship,  and 
that  a  rhymed  appeal  to  sinners  is  not  a  hymn  in  any  true 
sense.  But  the  quickened  sense  of  responsibility  for  evan- 
gelization which  spread  from  the  Methodist  Movement  into 
all  the  Churches  has  learned  to  regard  such  questions  as 
largely  academic.  The  Evangelistic  Hymn  has  a  secure 
place  not  only  in  the  ordinary  church  hymnal  but  even  in 
the  collections  of  the  straitest  Anglicans.  For  this  the  Wes- 
leys are  responsible,  even  though  the  evangelistic  hymns 
of  Charles  Wesley  have  not  as  a  class  come  into  much  use 
beyond  Methodism.  Each  subsequent  revival  has  tended 
to  develop  its  own  Hymnody.  But  for  the  character  of 
too  much  of  this  later  Hymnody  the  Wesleys  cannot  justly 
be  regarded  as  responsible.  The  Evangelistic  Hymn  as 
conceived  by  them  is  simple,  direct  and  tender;  expressed 
in  rippling  measures  that  would  catch  the  ear  of  the  passer- 
by and  assist  his  memory.  But  from  triviality  and  from 
vulgarity  the  Wesleyan  hymns  are  characteristically  free. 

(2).  The  work  of  the  Wesleys.  notably  of  Charles, 
greatly  affected  the  Hymn  of  Christian  Experience.    At  his 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     249 

hands  this  becomes  the  predominating  theme  of  Hymnody. 
He  felt  an  impulse  to  translate  every  new  spiritual  experi- 
ence into  song;  and  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  converts,  as 
disclosed  in  the  class-meetings,  broke  through  his  natural 
reserve,  and  called  upon  him  to  bare  the  deepest  feelings  of 
his  soul,  and  lay  them  at  the  feet  of  those  who  needed  his 
sympathy  and  guidance.  The  hymns  are  frankly  autobio- 
graphical. They  portray,  without  any  effort  to  tone  down 
his  own  heightened  emotions  to  the  average  level,  his  per- 
sonal spiritual  history : — his  unrest  and  even  agony  under 
bondage  to  the  law,  his  instantaneous  conversion  and  the 
assurance  of  faith,  the  period  of  ecstatic  joy,  the  ups  and 
downs  of  the  pilgrim  progress  to  the  "second  rest,"  his 
delight  in  the  anticipation  of  death. 

In  this  way  the  Methodist  Hymnody  developed  into  some- 
thing more  than  a  body  of  Church  Song.  As  finally 
gathered  into  the  Collection  of  1780,  it  constituted  what 
John  Wesley  called  the  fullest  account  of  Scriptural  Chris- 
tianity in  existence.  The  whole  area  of  the  operations  of 
the  Spirit  in  the  heart  is  there  charted  out  with  firmness 
and  precision.  The  experiences  are  primarily  the  Wesleys' 
own.  But  it  was  a  feature  of  their  method  to  anticipate, 
and  in  a  remarkable  degree  to  evoke,  in  their  converts  a 
repetition  of  their  own  experiences.  And  the  Hymnody 
did  much  in  developing  the  type  of  piety  we  still  describe 
as  Methodist.  Methodist  though  it  was,  Dr.  Martineau, 
the  Unitarian,  wrote  of  it  in  1869:'^^ — "After  the  Scrip- 
tures, the  Wesley  Hymn  Book  appears  to  me  the  grandest 
instrument  of  popular  religious  culture  that  Christendom 
has  ever  produced." 

This  conception  of  the  Hymn,  and  this  turning  of  the 
congregational  praise  book  into  a  manual  of  spiritual  dis- 
cipHne,  were  not  the  expression  of  the  Wesleys'  theory  of 
worship  imposed  upon  the  Revival.  They  were  rather  the 
result  of  the  Revival  experiences  with  the  poor  and  unlet- 
tered, the  observation  of  the  great  educative  power  that  lay 

"Li'/^  and  Letters  of  James  Martineau,  New  York,  1902,  vol.  ii,  p.  99. 


250  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

in  the  use  of  hymns  which  the  Revival  itself  had  called 
forth  and  shaped.  In  the  fulness  and  precision  of  its  deal- 
ings with  the  Christian  life,  the  Methodist  Collection  re- 
mains unique,  but  its  new  emphasis  on  the  Hymn-  of 
Experience  became  a  precedent,  and  was  extended  through 
the  various  channels  of  Hymnody  that  more  or  less  directly 
had  their  source  in  the  Revival. 

The  value  of  the  precedent  thus  established  will  be  vari- 
ously appraised.  From  the  liturgical  point  of  view  the 
Hymn  of  Experience  seems  to  violate  the  traditions,  and 
to  create  a  new  standard  of  Church  Praise.  Instead  of  a 
congregation  uttering  its  corporate  praise  with  a  common 
voice,  we  have  a  gathering  of  individuals  conducting  their 
private  devotions  in  audible  unison.  And  when  the  Hymn 
of  Experience  becomes  autobiographical,  it  gives  rise  to 
the  double  question,  how  far  its  writer's  individual  experi- 
ence is  fitted  to  be  a  norm  of  Christian  experience  in  gen- 
eral, and  how  far  putting  another's  experience  into  the 
mouth  of  a  promiscuous  congregation  lends  itself  to  the 
promotion  of  religious  insincerity. 

In  applying  these  tests  to  Charles  Wesley's  autobio- 
graphical hymns,  there  is  no  occasion  to  separate  the  body 
of  them  from  the  Wesleyan  Method,  of  which  they  became 
the  effective  instrument.  In  the  case  of  a  great  majority 
of  them,  their  use  has  been  confined  within  the  limits  of 
Methodism.  Of  the  remainder  some,  by  reason  of  their 
emotional  intensity  and  spiritual  exaltation,  are  clearly  un- 
fitted for  general  and  indiscriminate  use.'^^  Others  have 
awakened  a  response  in  the  common  heart  of  English-speak- 
ing Christendom ;  though  even  in  the  case  of  some  of  these 
there  is  no  unanimity  of  opinion  as  to  the  fitness  of  such 
intimate  strains  for  general  worship.'^ ^ 

"  "They  are  too  good  for  such  purposes."     Burgess,  op.  cit.,  p.  266. 

"£.  g.,  of  "Jesu,  Lover  of  my  Soul,"  Canon  EUerton,  the  hymn 
writer,  has  said  "Most  clergymen,  I  suppose,  would  hesitate  before 
selecting  it  as  the  vehicle  of  the  ordinary  worship  of  a  mixed  congre- 
gation."    H.  Housman,  John  EUerton,  London,  1896,  p.  237. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     251 

(3).  The  work  of  the  Wesleys  led  the  way  toward  a 
churchly  or  Liturgical  Hyninody.  The  idea  of  celebrating 
the  Christian  festivals  in  verse  had  of  course  been  held  in 
common  by  many  devotional  poets :  even  that  of  a  "Chris- 
tian Year"  which  should  be  a  poetic  illustration  of  the 
Prayer  Book  began  with  Bishop  Ken  rather  than  with 
Keble.  But  in  the  Wesleys'  time  the  thought  of  a  "Hymnal 
Companion  to  the  Prayer  Book"  was  not  in  men's  minds, 
and  the  work  of  Wither  in  that  direction  had  been  long 
forgotten. 

The  Wesleys  had  planned  to  carry  on  their  work  in  the 
Church  of  their  fathers,  and  as  late  as  1750  printed  hymns 
under  their  names  as  "Presbyters  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land."^'^  The  group  of  hymn  tracts  for  various  festivals  of 
the  Christian  Year  contains  some  of  the  best  hymns  of 
that  type  in  the  language,  and  perhaps  indicates  the  line  on 
which  the  Wesleyan  Hymnody  would  have  developed  apart 
from  the  revival  influences.  Even  after  the  Church  proved 
inhospitable  to  the  Wesleys'  work  and  their  hymns,  the 
brothers  remained  in  its  ministry,  churchmen  at  heart  and 
to  a  great  extent  in  practice. 

The  Hymns  on  the  Lord's  Supper  of  1745  would  seem 
a  strange  intrusion  into  the  body  of  their  experimental 
Hymnody,  if  we  did  not  understand  how  the  Church  service 
and  the  Methodist  meeting  continued,  in  the  mind  of  both 
brothers,  to  exist  side  by  side,  each  complementing  the 
other.  They  regarded  the  Lord's  Supper  as  the  crown  of 
Christian  worship,  and  held  it  in  profoundest  reverence. 
This  book  of  1745  is  the  witness  of  their  desire  that  their 
followers  should  share  their  views.  It  is  a  "hymnal  com- 
panion" to  the  Prayer  Book  "Order  of  the  Administration 
of  the  Lord's  Supper,"  by  no  means  neglectful  of  the 
"Catholic"  aspects  of  that  service.  John  Wesley  required 
of  his  people  frequent  communions  in  their  parish  churches; 
and,  after  the  permanent  organization  of  Methodism  as  a 
separate  church,  arranged  for  it  a  liturgical  and  sacramental 

'"Hymns  on  the  Lord's  Supper   (title  pages  of  some  editions). 


252  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

scheme  of  worship,  modified  from  The  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  with  its  own  Hymnody  "for  the  Lord's  Day"  serv- 
ices. The  churchly  and  sacramental  procHvities  of  the 
Wesleys  permanently  impressed  themselves  on  English 
Methodism,  and,  as  embodied  in  its  Hymnody,  differentiate 
that  Hymnody  from  the  early  Nonconformist  "System  of 
Praise,"  and  no  less  from  later  types  of  Revival  Hymnody, 
which  give  scant  recognition  to  church  or  sacrament. 
"Never  at  any  time  was  there  a  danger  of  the  Methodist 
Societies  cutting  themselves  off  from  the  Catholic  Church 
by  neglect  of  the  Sacraments,  or  of  their  becoming  an 
exclusively  evangelistic  organization  on  the  plan  of  the 
Salvation  Army.""^  There  was  thus  nothing  anomalous  in 
the  fact  that  the  Wesleys  should  be  the  first  within  the 
bounds  of  the  Church  of  England  to  celebrate  its  festival 
days  in  adequate  songs  and  to  provide  a  Sacramental 
Hymnody. 

(4).  The  work  of  the  Wesleys  set  up  a  new  standard  in 
Hymnody  on  its  literary  side.  Their  hymns  are  in  line 
with  the  earlier  devotional  poets  rather  than  with  Watts. 
They  controverted  Watts'  canon  of  hymn  writing  and  laid 
down  a  new  one, — a  hymn  should  be  a  poem. 

John  Wesley's  taking  to  Georgia  a  copy  of  Herbert's 
Poems,  and  his  repeated  efforts  to  utilize  its  verses  in  his 
hymn  books,  are  significant.  The  brothers  had  been  trained 
in  the  very  atmosphere  of  sacred  poetry.  Samuel  Wesley's 
preface  to  his  An  Epistle  to  a  friend  concerning  Poetry 
(1700)  was  a  vigorous,  even  violent,  philippic  against  the 
profligacy  and  "infidel  principles"  of  current  letters,  espe- 
cially poetry;  and  all  the  poets  of  the  Epworth  rectory 
aimed  to  rebut  the  prevailing  notion  that  religion  offered  no 
fit  themes  to  poetry.  So  far  the  standpoint  of  Watts  and 
the  Wesleys  was  one,  but  only  so  far. 

Watts  insisted  that  the  Hymn  must  be  kept  outside  the 
realm  of  poetry,  stripped  of  poetic  suggestiveness,  and  be 
written  down  to  the  level  of  the  meanest  capacity.    Wesley 

"Gregory,  Hymn  Book  of  the  Modern  Church,  p.  177. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     253 

maintained  that  the  Hymn  should  be  a  rehgious  lyric  and 
create  the  impression  of  lyrical  poetry;  that  the  masses 
must  be  lifted  up  to  the  level  of  the  Hymn,  and  made  to 
feel  the  beauty  and  inspiration  of  poetry.  By  this  standard 
he  tried  not  only  the  work  of  Watts,  but  of  his  brother 
Charles,  of  a  group  of  whose  hymns  he  said,  "Some  are 
bad,  some  mean,  some  most  excellently  good.""*  And  when 
his  Methodist  "System  of  Praise"  was  finally  complete,  he 
made  the  proud  boast  :"*' — 

"May  I  be  permitted  to  add  a  few  words  with  regard  to  the 
poetry?  ...  In  these  Hymns  there  is  no  doggerel,  no  botches, 
nothing  put  in  to  patch  up  the  rhyme,  no  feeble  expletives. 
Here  is  nothing  turgid  or  bombast  on  the  one  hand,  or  low  and 
creeping  on  the  other.  .  .  .  Here  are  (allow  me  to  say)  both 
the  purity,  the  strength  and  the  elegance  of  the  ENGLISH 
language :  and  at  the  same  time  the  utmost  simplicity  and  plain- 
ness, suited  to  every  capacity.  Lastly,  I  desire  men  of  taste  to 
judge  (these  are  the  only  competent  judges;)  whether  there  is 
not  in  some  of  the  following  verses,  the  true  Spirit  of  Poetry: 
such  as  cannot  be  acquired  by  art  and  labour;  but  must  be  the 
gift  of  nature.  By  labour  a  man  may  become  a  tolerable  imi- 
tator of  SPENSER,  SHAKESPEAR,  or  MILTON,  and  may 
heap  together  pretty  compound  epithets,  as  PALE-EYED, 
WEAK-EYED,  and  the  like.  But  unless  he  is  born  a  Poet, 
he   will   never   attain   the  genuine   SPIRIT   OF   POETRY." 

In  the  judgment  of  a  recent  historian  of  English  Poetry,*" 
Wesley  "was  fully  justified"  in  making  this  boast,  and  his 
brother  Charles  was  "the  most  admirable  devotional  lyric 
poet  in  the  English  language." 

Incidental  to  the  poetic  freedom  with  which  Charles  Wes- 
ley wrote  was  the  marked  metrical  development  he  gave  to 
the  English  Hymn.    Tate  and  Brady  in  the  new  Psalmody, 

''^Journal,  December  15,  1788. 

"In  preface  to  the  Collection  of  1780. 

*"W.  J.  Courthope,  A  History  of  English  Poetry,  vol.  v,  London, 
"•905.  P-  343-  Prof.  Felix  E.  Schelling,  in  his  more  recent  The  English 
Lyric  (Houghton  Mifflin  Co.,  1913)  occupies  the  familiar  critical 
attitude,  and  has  been  quoted  in  our  preface.  "The  critical  world  is  yet 
but  half-persuaded  that  a  hymn  can  be  poetry,"  the  late  Frederic  M. 
Bird  said  in  the  preface  of  his  Charles  Wesley  seen  in  his  finer  and  less 
familiar  Poems.    New  York:  Hurd  &  Houghton,  1867. 


254  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

and  Watts  in  the  new  Hymnody,  had  confined  themselves 
to  the  simple  metres  of  the  old  Psalmody.  This  was  with 
a  view  of  meeting  the  musical  limitations  of  the  congrega- 
tions, but  not  without  a  thought  for  the  quasi-sacredness 
acquired  by  these  metres  as  the  traditional  vehicles  of  praise, 
Charles  Wesley  cast  aside  all  such  scruples,  and  wrote  freely 
in  the  rhythms  and  measures  most  natural  or  effective; 
some  suggested  by  German  originals,  some  his  own.  He 
wrote  hymns  in  some  thirty  metres,  whose  freshness  and 
variety  became  a  marked  feature  of  the  Methodist  Collec- 
tion. He  rather  neglected  the  familiar  Iambic  metres  of 
the  psalm  books,  purposely  no  doubt,  and  excelled  in  his 
handling  of  trochaic  metres.  Some  of  his  irregular  or 
"peculiar"  metres  have  less  reason  for  being  there. 

The  early  Methodists,  always  under  the  pressure  of  John 
Wesley's  schooling,  seem  to  have  had  little  trouble  with  the 
novel  metres.  But  their  ability  to  handle  the  less  simple 
metres  gradually  lessened.  By  the  XlXth  century  a  con- 
siderable part  of  the  Collection  had,  for  that  reason,  become 
practically  obsolete.  Toward  the  middle  of  the  century  the 
matter  was  taken  up,  and  some  of  the  hymns  restored  into 
actual  use.  On  the  other  hand,  a  variety  of  metres  intro- 
duced by  the  Wesleys  have  now  become  familiar  and 
standard  measures  in  English  Hymnody. 

Upon  the  writing  of  hymns  Charles  Wesley's  influence 
was  less  immediate  and  less  clearly  marked  than  that  of 
Watts.  He  cannot  be  said  to  have  established  a  school  of 
hymn  writers.  His  poetic  inspiration  and  even  his  peculiar 
style  discouraged  imitation.  Of  the  associates  of  the  Wes- 
leys who  remained  Methodists,  Thomas  Olivers^ '^  and  John 
Bakewell^^  are  each  remembered  as  the  author  of  a  single 
hymn.  John  Murlin,  one  of  Wesley's  preachers  who  sur- 
vived him,  printed  (8i)  Sacred  Hymns  on  various  subjects, 
which  reached  a  second  edition  (Bristol.  1782  ),  but  are  not 
remembered.     In  the  generation  immediately  following  the 

^'Author  of  "The  God  of  Abraham  praise." 
^-Author  of  "Hail!  Thou  once-despised  Jesus." 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     255 

W'esleys,  there  were  virtually  no  Methodist  hymn  writers  at 
all.  No  need  was  felt  of  adding  to  the  Wesleyan  Hymns, 
and  certainly  there  was  no  hope  in  any  Methodist  mind  of 
improving  upon  them.''''  Of  the  Wesleys'  associates  who 
became  Moravians,  those  who  wrote  hymns  show  the  influ- 
ence of  Herrnhut  rather  than  of  Charles  Wesley.  On  the 
Calvinistic  side  of  the  Revival  there  was  more  opportunity 
for  hymn  writers  than  on  the  Methodist.  And  it  is  one 
of  the  humors  of  the  situation  that  the  polemic  and  indig- 
nant Toplady  so  "evidently  kindled  his  poetic  torch  at 
that  of  his  contemporary,  Charles  Wesley."  Montgomery's 
remark^"*  that  if  Toplady's  "Deathless  principle,  arise"  had 
appeared  without  name,  it  might  have  been  confidently  set 
down  as  the  production  of  Charles  Wesley,  may  be  extended 
to  cover  a  number  of  Toplady's  hymns.  Upon  hymn  writers 
in  general  Charles  Wesley's  influence  operated  less  by  way 
of  furnishing  models  for  imitation  than  by  gradually  enlarg- 
ing their  conception  of  the  Hymn,  in  its  themes,  its  methods 
and  its  metrical  structure. 


V 

THE  WESLEYAN  HYMNS  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT 
LARGE 

We  have  yet  to  consider  the  part  of  the  Wesleys  in  the 
extension  of  hymn  singing.  And  perhaps  it  needs  to  be 
emphasized  that  their  immediate  work  in  this  direction  was 
effected  within  the  ranks  of  their  own  followers.  It  was 
effected  by  developing  among  them  a  new  type  of  fervid 
song  learned  from  the  Moravians,  and  by  establishing  a 
great  denomination  of  which  hymn  singing  was  the  charac- 
teristic note. 

^^Among  later  Methodist  hymn  writers,  mention  may  be  made  of 
William  M.  Bunting,  W.  Morley  Punshon,  Benjamin  Gough,  E.  Evans 
Jenkins,  J.  Lyth,  E.  J.  Brailsford,  A.  H.  Vine,  T.  B.  Stephenson,  and 
Edw.  Boaden. 

^*The  Christian  Psalmist,  1825,  preface,  p.  xxvi. 


256  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

When  we  come  to  "The  revolution  in  Church  Psalmody" 
which  the  editor  of  Wesley's  Journal  foresees  in  his  work 
in  Georgia  and  his  hymn  book  of  1737,^^  we  need  to  remem- 
ber that  Watts  and  not  Wesley  was  the  leader  in  that 
revolution.  Even  the  familiar  statement  of  Green  that  by 
the  Wesleys  "a  new  musical  impulse  was  aroused  in  the 
people  which  gradually  changed  the  face  of  public  devotion 
throughout  England, "^^  needs  to  be  qualified.  The  fervor 
of  Methodist  song  was  evoked  by  Methodist  experience.  It 
does  not  appear  to  have  passed  over  even  to  the  Calvinistic 
side  of  the  Revival  itself.  The  influence  of  the  Wesleys  in 
"changing  the  face  of  devotion"  was  somewhat  indirect,  and 
to  a  great  extent  it  was  deferred. 

When  we  think  of  the  contagion  of  Methodist  fervor  as 
fnoculating  the  ranks  of  the  psalm  singers  outside  with  its 
love  of  the  Wesley  an  Hymns  and  its  passion  for  hymn- 
singing,  we  are  far  away  from  real  XVHIth  century  hap- 
penings. The  actual  relation  of  the  work  of  the  Wesleys 
in  Hymnody  to  the  Churches  outside  of  Methodism  in- 
volves some  very  peculiar  features.  Perhaps  there  is  no 
readier  way  of  understanding  it  than  that  of  pointing  the 
contrast  in  this  respect  between  their  work  and  that  of  their 
predecessor,  Dr.  Watts. 

To-day  it  is  a  commonplace  to  couple  the  names  of  Watts 
and  Charles  Wesley  at  the  head  of  English  Hymnody,  with 
little  disposition  to  ask  which  name  is  the  greater.  But  this 
attitude  of  the  modern  Church  toward  them  has  been 
attained  very  gradually.  It  involved  a  complete  readjust- 
ment of  the  claim  of  the  two  men  upon  the  Church's  favor, 
that  became  possible  only  after  a  gradual  enlargement  of  the 
Church's  heart ;  in  effecting  which  the  Wesleys  have  been 
among  the  chief  agents.  Historically  there  was  the  sharpest 
contrast  between  the  church's  reception  of  Watts'  Psalms 
and  Hymns  and  of  Charles  Wesley's.  Two  features  of  the 
original  situation  sufficiently  explain  this. 

^^Journal,  vol.  i,  p.  229. 

^'Short  History  of  the  English  People,  ed.  London,   1884,  P-  719- 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     257 

First.  The  contrast  existed  already  in  the  actual  work 
of  the  two  men,  judged  from  the  point  of  view  of  avail- 
ableness  for  general  use.  Watts'  felicity  lay  in  his  gift 
for  locating  the  common  level  and  his  refusal  to  soar.  He 
embodied  the  theology  of  his  surroundings,  and  kept  within 
the  average  range  of  spiritual  experience.  This  self- 
restraint  gave  his  work  something  like  a  universal  appeal. 
When  he  had  once  persuaded  Nonconformist  Churches  that 
they  wanted  hymns,  the  Churches  felt  that  his  hymns  were 
just  what  they  wanted.  His  entire  System  of  Praise,  with- 
out sifting  or  retrenchment,  commended  itself  alike  to  Inde- 
pendents, Presbyterians,  and  Baptists.  Thus  it  could  happen 
that  in  many  quarters  what  now  is  called  the  "Hymnal" 
was  referred  to  simply  as  "Watts." 

Nothing  of  this  kind  could  have  happened  to  Charles 
Wesley.  His  work  did  not  commend  itself  to  current  taste 
as  poetry.  To  the  average  worshiper  it  would  hardly  sug- 
gest itself  as  adapted  for  singing;  for  he  had  no  experience 
of  the  use  of  anything  like  this  as  material  of  praise,  and 
knew  no  tunes  in  these  strange  metres.  Its  theology  was 
aggressively  in  the  opposition,  and  heated  by  the  contro- 
versial spirit.  Its  spiritual  tone  was  strange  and  unreal  to 
the  man  who  had  not  come  under  Methodist  training. 
Moreover  the  high  spiritual  levels  on  which  Charles  Wesley 
moved  were  immeasurably  above  the  average  experience 
or  even  ambition.  And,  at  a  time  when  the  churches 
expected  to  receive  their  materials  of  praise  as  a  unit,  if  not 
indeed  from  a  single  hand,  no  one  of  the  successive  collec- 
tions of  the  Wesleys'  hymns  could  have  been  a  candidate 
for  adoption  in  any  branch  of  the  Church,  or  by  any  com- 
pany of  Christians  outside  of  Methodism.  The  very  neces- 
sity of  selecting  the  available  hymns,  imbedded  in  a  mass 
of  material  not  attractive  to  general  taste  or  conviction, 
was  tantamount  to  a  postponement  of  the  rightful  claims 
of  the  Wesleys  to  a  share  in  the  Hymnody  of  the  Church 
at  large. 

Second.     There  was  the  same  contrast  in  the  extent  of 


258  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

the  opportunity  for  the  general  diffusion  of  their  hymns 
afforded  by  the  respective  circumstances  and  surroundings 
of  Watts  and  Charles  Wesley. 

Watts  moved  on  the  social  uplands  of  English  Noncon- 
formity. He  was  universally  looked  up  to  by  dissenters, 
and  he  freely  met  "bishops  and  other  clergy"  on  their  own 
level.  His  position  could  not  have  been  more  favorable  for 
disseminating  that  System  of  Church  Ptaise  he  regarded 
as  his  great  work.  But  while  Watts  advanced  by  the  high- 
ways seen  and  respected  of  all,  the  Wesleys  worked 
behind  the  hedges  separating  them  from  both  Church  and 
dissent.  In  so  far  as  either  had  any  real  knowledge  of  the 
Wesleys  and  their  work,  they  were  regarded  by  churchmen 
as  schismatics  and  ranters,  and  by  socially  respectable  dis- 
sent as  sentimentalists  and  sensationalists.  They  sought  to 
reach  the  masses  neglected  by  Church  and  dissent  alike,  and 
by  methods  disapproved  of  by  both.  They  forsook  the  con- 
ventional order,  aroused  intellectual  contempt,  awakened 
intense  theological  bitterness  and  incurred  social  ostracism, 
and  even  personal  violence.  It  is  difficult  now  to  reproduce, 
even  to  the  imagination,  "the  Reproach  of  Methodism,"  and 
to  appreciate  the  isolation  of  the  Methodist  Movement  from 
contemporary  religious  activity  or  stagnation. 

It  would  be  idle  to  deny  that  the  Wesleyan  Hymns  suf- 
fered from  these  associations.  The  contagion  of  this  fervid 
Methodist  song  could  not  be  felt,  so  long  as  the  Methodists 
and  the  churches  were  not  brought  into  contact.  The  real 
charm  of  the  Wesleyan  poetry  could  not  be  perceived,  so 
long  as  men  regarded  it  as  the  mere  vehicle  of  Methodist 
errors,  or  failed  to  regard  it  at  all,  as  unworthy  of  atten- 
tion. There  resulted  an  inevitable  postponement  of  any 
use  of  the  Wesleyan  Hymns  by  the  churches  outside.  And 
even  more  permanently  the  hymns  retained  a  Methodist 
taint,  from  which  nothing  but  the  change  of  feeling  that 
time  brings  could  wholly  free  them. 

Whitefield's  use  of  some  of  the  Wesleyan  Hymns  at  his 
Tabernacle  helped  a  few  of  them  across  the  wall  separating 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     259 

Arminianism  from  Calvinism.  But  Lady  Huntingdon's 
Connexion  and  the  Moravian  Methodists  developed  their 
own  hymn  writers  and  their  own  Hymnody.  One  and 
another  of  the  choice  spirits  among  the  Church  of  England 
clergy  who  caught  the  glow  of  the  Revival,  introduced  some 
of  the  Wesleyan  hymns  into  their  new  hymn  books,  and 
gave  them  their  first  opportunity  for  a  wider  use.  Some 
of  these  hymns  passed  from  one  collection  into  others,  and 
were  gradually  added  to.  They  made  their  way  on  their 
own  merits,  as  it  is  evident  that  many  compilers  knew  noth- 
ing of  the  source  of  the  materials  they  used.  Even  so.  the 
Wesleyan  hymns  thus  used  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
XVIIIth  century  were  few,  and  their  use  itself  limited.  The 
Independents  were  under  the  spell  of  the  Watts  tradition. 
In  the  first  outstanding  Baptist  collection  (Ash  and  Evans, 
1760)  the  infusion  of  Wesleyan  hymns  was  very  trifling: 
in  that  of  Dr.  Rippon  (1787)  it  was  larger.  In  the  early 
XlXth  century  the  inclusion  of  some  Wesleyan  hymns 
became  the  general  rule,  and  their  number  has  gradually 
increased  to  its  present  proportions.  But  in  such  use, 
through  the  first  half-century  and  beyond,  there  was  a  very 
common  feature  which  every  student  of  hymn  books  has 
observed;  that  is  to  say,  that  even  where  compilers  have 
been  careful  to  give  the  names  of  other  authors,  the  hymns 
of  the  Wesleys  were  frequently  printed  as  anonymous,  or 
ascribed  to  some  other  author.  Doddridge,  Toplady,  De 
Courcey,  Cennick,  Cowper  and  Montgomery,  were  among 
the  names  given  as  the  authors  of  Wesleyan  hymns  in  Eng- 
lish and  American  collections  of  note.  Of  Wesleyan  hymns, 
given  without  any  name,  or  with  a  wrong  name  appended 
to  them,  Mr.  Burgess*^'^  found  27  in  Rippon's  Selection 
( i8th  ed.),  15  in  Willcock's  Collection,  24  in  Montgomery's 
Christian  Psalmist,  22  in  Bickersteth's  Christian  Psalmody, 
and  29  in  Conder's  Congregational  Hymn-Book.  It  is  not 
surprising  that  Burgess  saw  in  this  coincidence  a  furtive 
use  of  Wesleyan  materials,  and  something  like  a  conspiracy 
"W.  P.  Burgess,  Wesleyan  Hymnology,  2nd  ed.,  London,  1849,  p.  9. 


26o  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

to  suppress  the  truth,  due  to  Calvinistic  prejudice.  And  yet, 
among  the  compilers  Burgess  arraigns,  James  Montgomery 
was  influenced  by  no  such  motive,  and  in  the  pages  of  the 
very  book  referred  to  he  paid  tribute  to  Charles  Wesley's 
genius,  ranking  him  next  to  Watts.  An  explanation  of  the 
situation  must  include  Montgomery  as  well  as  Rippon. 

The  explanation  of  the  manner  of  Charles  Wesley's  treat- 
ment lies  largely,  if  not  wholly,  in  the  general  ignorance  of 
hymn  book  compilers  concerning  their  materials.  We  have 
already  said^^  that  Daniel  Sedgwick,  a  shoemaker's  appren- 
tice and  second-hand  book  dealer,  not  born  until  1814,  was 
the  first  to  make  a  collection  and  systematic  study  of  Eng- 
lish hymn  books.  And  only  when  in  middle  life  he  began 
to  put  his  knowledge  at  the  service  of  compilers,  was  there 
a  beginning  of  the  lifting  of  the  dense  cloud  of  ignorance 
covering  the  sphere  of  minor  letters  now  appropriated  to 
what  we  call  Hymnology.  This  ignorance  was  well  dis- 
tributed over  the  whole  extent  of  Hymnody.  But  it  must 
be  admitted  that  as  regards  Charles  Wesley  there  was  some- 
thing like  a  concentration  of  ignorance.  In  the  13th  number 
of  Notes  and  Queries  (Jan.  26,  1850),  established  as  "a 
medium  of  inter-communication  between  literary  men,"  etc., 
a  correspondent  asks : 

"Can  any  of  your  readers  inform  me  who  was  the  author  of 
the  well-known  Christmas-Hymn,  'Hark  the  Herald  Angels 
Sing,'  which  is  so  often  found  (of  course  without  the  slightest 
shadow  of  authority)  at  the  end  of  our  Prayer  Books?  In  the 
collection  of  poems  entitled  Christmas-Tyde,  published  by  Pick- 
ering, the  initials  'J-  C.  W.'  are  appended  to  it ;  the  same  in 
Bickersteth's  Hymn  Book.  In  the  last  number  of  the  Christian 
Remembrancer,  it  is  incorrectly  attributed  to  Doddridge.  .  .  . 
If  the  author  of  the  hymn  cannot  be  determined,  it  would  be 
interesting  to  know  its  probable  date.  .  .  ." 

It  may  be  noted  that  the  writer  in  The  Christian  Remem- 
brancer who  in  1850  attributed  the  hymn  to  Doddridge  was 
none  other  than  John  Mason  Neale,  a  diligent  student  of 
the  old  Latin  and  Greek  church  Hymnody. 

*^In  the  preface. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     261 

Three  weeks  after  the  appearance  of  the  inquiry  in  Notes 
and  Queries,  came  a  reply  (the  only  one)  from  another 
correspondent : 

"I  believe  [the  hymn]  to  be  the  composition  of  the  Rev. 
Charles  Wesley,  'the  younger  brother  of  the  celebrated  John 
Wesley.  He  was  the  author  of  many  of  the  hymns  in  his 
brother's  collection,  which  are  distinguished  for  their  elegance 
and  simplicity.  I  am  not  able  to  find  out,  for  certain,  whether 
he  had  another  name;  if  he  had,  it  was  probably  the  occasion 
of  the  initials   (J.  C.  W.)  your  correspondent  mentions."** 

The  need  for  such  an  inquiry  in  such  quarters  sixty-two 
years  after  Charles  Wesley's  death,  and  the  uncertainty  of 
the  only  reply,  fully  explain  the  failure  of  the  editors  of 
hymn  books  to  give  him  proper  recognition.  There  was 
no  conspiracy  among  them  to  suppress  the  facts.  But  there 
was  a  common  ignorance  concerning  Charles  Wesley  and 
his  work.  And  it  may  be  that  in  his  case  there  was  an 
element  of  wilfulness  in  this  ignorance  that  had  its  roots  in 
theological  or  ecclesiastical  prejudice.  Whatever  the  mo- 
tives to  disassociate  his  name  from  his  hymns  may  have 
been,  the  net  result  was  in  his  favor.  A  number  of  these 
unfathered  hymns  gained  a  sure  place  in  the  affection  of 
the  Churches.  And  when  they  came  to  realize  the  actual 
extent  of  Charles  Wesley's  contribution  to  the  common 
stock,  the  time  had  come  when  the  fact  could  be  accepted 
even  gladly,  as  an  evidence  of  the  large  area  of  Christian 
truth  and  feeling  which  all  the  Churches  hold  in  common. 

**Doubtless  the  initials  were  originally  intended  to  represent  J.  and 
C.  Wesley. 


CHAPTER    VI 

THE  HYMNODY  OF  THE  METHODIST  REVIVAL 
(Continued) 

To  complete  the  account  of  Methodist  Hymnody  in 
England  it  will  be  necessary  to  follow  its  fortunes  among 
those  dissenting  Methodist  bodies  which  cut  themselves  off 
from  the  main  stem  of  Wesleyanism.  But  these  schisms 
and  their  growth  into  large  independent  denominations 
pertain  to  the  period  following  Wesley's  death.  And  con- 
siderations of  chronology  demand  attention  to  the  Hymnody 
of  English  Moravianism,  whose  beginnings  were  contem- 
poraneous with  those  of  Methodism,  and  so  closely  con- 
nected with  the  Revival  as  to  give  rise  to  the  name  of 
"Moravian  Methodism."  We  must  also  follow  the  Wes- 
leyan  Movement  across  the  sea,  and  study  the  Hymnody  of 
that  great  Methodist  Church  which  Wesley  himself  lived 
to  found  in  America. 

VI 

THE   MORAVIAN   HYMNODY 

I.     After  the  Breach  with  Wesley  the  Moravians 
Develop  an  Eccentric  Hymnody  (i 741-1754) 

The  "Unitas  Fratrum,"  as  renewed  at  Herrnhut  by  Count 
Zinzendorf,  claims  descent  from  the  Bohemian  Brethren, 
who  made  the  first  hymn  books  of  Protestant  type.^  The 
Moravians  inherited  this  hymn  making  and  hymn  singing 
disposition  as  well  as  some  of  the  earlier  hymns.  But  on  the 
Moravian  Hymnody  Zinzendorf  stamped  his  own  ardent 
and  peculiar  personality  by  his  hymn  writing,  his  singing 

'See  chap,  i,  part  I,  sect.  2. 

262 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     263 

meetings  and  his  hymn  books  for  both  Herrnhut  and  Lon- 
don congregations." 

This  was  the  German  Hymnody  that  so  deeply  influenced 
the  Wesleys  on  their  voyage  to  America,  and  it  was  brought 
to  England  by  Brethren  from  Herrnhut  who  established  the 
little  circle  of  Moravians  at  London.  When  the  Wesleys 
returned  to  London  they  entered  this  circle  as  guests  of 
James  Hutton  and  spiritual  pupils  of  Peter  Bohler;  and 
their  association  with  the  Moravians  was  for  a  time  very 
close.  On  May  i,  1738,  Bohler  and  Wesley  joined  in 
drawing  up  regulations  for  the  society  at  Hutton's  house, 
later  at  Fetter  Lane.^  How  far  Wesley's  A  Collection  of 
Psalms  and  Hymns  of  1738  represents  this  association, 
and  this  society  (as  yet  neither  Moravian  nor  Methodist), 
can  only  be  conjectured.  With  the  breach  between  Wesley 
and  the  Moravians  that  quickly  followed,  the  development 
of  an  English  Moravian  Hymnody  became  as  inevitable 
as  was  the  writing  of  the  Wesleyan  Hymns. 

The  Moravians  naturally  drew  their  inspiration  from 
Herrnhut,  and  their  first  efifort  was  a  little  book  of  hymns 
translated  from  the  German.  It  was  put  to  press  in  October, 
1 74 1,  by  James  Hutton,  and  seems  to  be  that  submitted  to 
Dr.  Doddridge  and  read  by  him  "with  great  pleasure."* 
Between  1742  and  1748  followed  A  Collection  of  Hymns 
with  several  translations  from  the  Hymn  Book  of  the 
Moravian  Brethren  in  three  parts. ^     There  had  been  also 

^For  Zinzendorf  and  German  Moravian  Hymnody,  see  E.  E.  Koch, 
Geschichte  des  Kirchcnlieds  und  Kirchengesangs  der  christlichen, 
insbefondere  der  deuischcn  cvangelischen  Kirche,  3rd  ed.,  vol.  5, 
Stuttgart,  1868,  pp.  283-352.  For  his  hymns,  see  also  Albert  Knapp, 
Geistlichc  Gcdichte  dcs  Grafcn  von  Zinzendorf,  Stuttgart,  1845  (but 
as  to  text  consult  Julian,  Dictionary  of  Hymnology,  p.  1302'). 

^Wesley's  Journal,  vol.  i,  pp.  458,  459. 

^David  Benham,  Memoirs  of  James  Hutton,  London,  1856,  p.  75 : 
and  see  Doddridge's  letter  of  Nov.  18,  1741,  p.  62. 

^Part  i,  1742  (Hymns  1-187,  with  188-239  in  appendix  of  2nd  edn., 
1743):  part  ii,  1746  (Hymns  240-403,  and  some  unnumbered:  part  iii, 
1748,  with  126  numbered,  and  some  unnumbered  verses ;  the  hymns 
increased  to  161  in  1749. 


264  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

in  1742  A  second  Collection  of  Hymns,  never  before 
printed,  zvith  several  new  translations  from  the  Hymn-Book 
of  the  Moravian  Brethren  (London,  J.  Hutton,  83  hymns)  ; 
and  there  followed  in  1752  Some  other  Hymns  and  Poems, 
consisting  chiefly  of  translations  from  the  German.  These 
hymns  by  numerous  hands  represent  the  common  desire  of 
the  London  Society  to  express  its  peculiar  views  in  social 
song;  but  up  to  this  point  they  "were  never  regularly 
authorized  nor  always  passably  reviewed."  ^ 

Zinzendorf  had  planned  a  hymn  book/  the  details 
of  which  he  committed  to  John  Gambold,^  one  of  the 
Oxford  "Holy  Club,"  and  afterwards  a  leader  in  London 
Moravianism.  This,  the  first  authorized  hymn  book,  ap- 
peared as  A  Collection  of  Hymns  of  the  Children  of  God 
in  all  ages,  from  the  beginning  till  now.  In  two  parts. 
Designed  chiefly  for  the  use  of  the  congregations  in  union 
with  the  Brethren's  Church.  London  printed;  and  to  be 
had  at  all  the  Brethren's  Chapels,  MDCCLIV.  The  book 
is  a  i2mo.  of  804  pages,  with  the  hymns  set  up  in  double 
columns.  In  motive  and  in  contents,  as  in  size,  it  was  quite 
without  precedent.  Part  i  was  nothing  less  than  an  at- 
tempted thesaurus  of  Christian  Hymnody: — Anthems  from 
Scripture  (i-iio);  Scripture  Hymns  (111-181);  Hymns 
of  the  Primitive  Church  (182-245)  5  Hymns  of  the  Ancient 
Brethren  (246-297)  ;  German  Hymns  of  the  XVIth  century 
(298-336)  ;  old  Hymns  of  the  English  Church  (337-431)  ; 
German  Hymns  of  the  XVIIth  century  (432-481)  ;  English 
Hymns  of  the  same  age  (482-536)  ;  English  and  German 
Hymns  at  the  end  of  the  XVIIth  and  in  the  XVIIIth  century 
(537-695).  Such  an  eclectic  undertaking  was  certainly 
remarkable  for  its  time,  though  probably  of  greater  interest 
to  us  than  to  those  for  whose  use  it  was  intended. 


'Preface  of  1754. 

^Spangenberg,  Life  of  Nicholas  Lewis  Count  Zinzendorf,  tr.  by 
Saml.  Jackson,  London,  1838,  p.  430:  Hutton's  Memoirs,  pp.  302,  303. 

*L.  Tyerman,  The  Oxford  Methodists,  London,  1873,  pp.  192,  193: 
Hutton,  ut  sup. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     265 

The  second  part  may  be  regarded  as  the  authorized 
presentation  of  the  "Hymns  of  the  present  Congregation 
of  the  Brethren"^  (460  numbered;  many  without  num- 
bers) :  including  so  much  of  the  contents  of  the  earher 
hymn  books  as  space  allowed.  The  early  and  exuberant 
development  of  Moravian  Hymnody  here  revealed  for  our 
inspection  was  vitally  connected  with  that  of  Herrnhul, 
from  which  much  of  it  was  directly  translated.  It  seems 
at  first  like  a  high-colored  and  repulsive  morbid  growth 
that  had  been  grafted  from  without  upon  the  stem  of 
English  Hymnody.  In  reality  it  was  the  new  development 
of  a  real  spiritual  life,  at  first  perverted  into  fantastic 
shapes,  but  capable  of  culture  and  ultimately  flowering 
into  a  characteristic  and  permanent  type  of  English 
Hymn. 

It  is  desirable  that  this  type  be  kept  in  mind  while  in- 
specting the  vagaries  of  the  early  hymns.  It  is  simply 
the  embodiment  and  expression  of  Zinzendorf's  peculiar 
type  of  "heart  religion."  As  in  his  theology  it  is  enough 
to  know  Christ  as  sacrificed,  while  the  mysteries  of  the 
Divine  nature  are  ignored  as  not  practical,  so  in  the  hymns, 
"the  Lamb"  ever  wounded  and  dying  is  the  chief,  almost 
the  only,  object  of  praise  and  prayer,  to  the  virtual  ignoring 
of  the  Divine  majesty. ^^  The  atmosphere  of  the  hymns 
is  that  of  a  childlike  simplicity,  a  tender  devotion  to  Christ's 
person,  and  a  joyful  confidence  in  his  passion.  Unfortu- 
nately Zinzendorf  had  first  to  pass  through  a  period  when 

^The  preface  of  1754:  according  to  that  of  the  1789  Collection,  "all 
such  hymns  of  former  Hymn-books  used  among  us,  which  were 
thought  to  merit  a  place."  But  this  should  not  be  construed  to  imply 
that  Gambold  thought  that  all  the  hymns  he  admitted  in  1754  had 
intrinsic  merit.  His  standard  of  Hymnody  was  inconceivably  low, 
but  his  preface  acknowledges  the  inferiority  of  some  of  the  hymns, 
put  in  because  "even  these  little  Hymns  have  got  their  lovers,  who 
would  be  sorry  to  lose  them  all  at  once"    (preface,  1754,  p.  12). 

^'' "Do  not  wonder  that  they  scarce  speak  of  any  Thing  else  but  the 
Wounds,  and  Blood,  and  Death,  and  Atonement  of  our  Redeemer; 
for  this  is  the  weightiest  Matter  in  Heaven  and  Earth."  Preface  to 
A  second  Collection,  1742. 


266  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

his  thinking  assumed  a  mystical  vagueness,  his  zeal  flamed 
into  fanaticism  and  his  affections  were  perverted  by  senti- 
mentality: he  imposed  upon  his  followers  a  copious  selec- 
tion of  the  "fleshly-spiritual"  hymns  of  Johann  Schefiler, 
and  from  them  formed  his  own  early  style  of  hymn  writing. 
Through  this  valley  of  humiliation  Zinzendorf  dragged  his 
English  as  well  as  German  followers,  and  to  this  period  the 
Collection  of  1754  belongs. 

The  immediate  impression  the  hymns  make  upon  the  eye 
is  that  of  foreignness,  owing  to  the  unusual  metres  and 
frequent  long-drawn-out  stanzas.  This  was  due  to  the 
wish  of  the  authorities  that  the  melodies  used  at  Herrnhut 
should  be  retained,  no  matter  in  what  language  the  hymns 
were  sung;  and  it  has  continued  to  give  a  characteristic 
verse-form  to  Moravian  Hymnody  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
The  sense  of  foreignness  is  increased  by  the  foreign  English 
of  many  of  the  hymns.  This  was  owing  partly  to  the 
inherent  difficulty  of  adapting  English  to  German  metres, 
and  partly  to  the  unfamiliarity  of  some  of  the  translators 
with  English  grammar  and  the  meanings  of  the  words  they 
used.^^  Whether  foreign  or  native,  the  English  of  the 
hymns  is  often  illiterate,  and  much  of  the  verse  pure 
doggerel ;  not  unnaturally  so  since  Hutton  and  Gambold 
must  have  been  almost  the  only  educated  men  among  these 
hymn   writers. ^^     Both  the   foreignness  and   illiteracy  of 

^'See  the  correspondence  of  James  Hutton  and  "the  Director  of  the 
Psalmody,"  printed  at  the  end  of  the  third  part  of  the  collection  of 
Hymns  (2nd  ed.,  1749),  and  reprinted  in  Memoirs  of  Hutton,  appendix 
iv,  pp.  592,  593. 

"Unless  we  regard  Zinzendorf  himself  as  among  them.  He  wrote 
one  English  hymn,  translated  one  of  Luther's  and  versified  the  Articles 
of  the  Church  of  England,  for  the  1754  Collection  (see  note  at  end 
of  preface).  John  Cennick  did  not  become  a  Moravian  till  1745,  and 
his  well  known  hymns  enter  very  slightly  into  the  earlier  Moravian 
hymn  books.  Of  Hutton's  hymns  there  is  a  selection  in  the  Memoirs, 
A  few  are  still  in  Moravian  use;  one  ("Teach  me  yet  more  of  Thy 
blest  ways")  is  known  more  widely.  It  is  claimed  that  Gambold 
contributed  no  less  than  11  translations  and  28  originals  to  the  Collec- 
tion of  1754.  A  list  of  these  can  be  found  in  Tyerman,  The  Oxford 
Methodists,  pp.  192,  193. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     267 

Moravian  Hymnody  were  gradually  removed  by  redaction 
and  retranslation,  without  impairing  that  German  strain 
that  still  testifies  to  its  source. 

The  Brethren's  Hymns  of  1754  deal  principally  with  the 
slaughtered  Lamb,  with  the  emphasis  on  the  physical  side 
of  the  passion, — the  sweat  and  blood,  the  wounds,  the 
opened  side  which  becomes  the  sphere  of  the  believers'  com- 
munion, and  the  "corpse."  They  abound  in  whimsical 
allegories  and  perverted  spiritualizations.  The  ideas  con- 
veyed by  their  imagery  are  often  shockingly  coarse,  and 
again  unintelligible.^^  The  amatory  conception  of  the 
mystical  union  with  Christ,  and  also  the  Moravian  dis- 
cipline of  the  sexes,  led  to  some  passages  which,  however 
innocently  intended,  are  undeniably  indecent.^'* 

2.    Wesley  Repudiates  it  (1749) 

These  hymns  of  a  people  with  whom  he  had  so  nearly 
identified  himself  shocked  and  chagrined  John  Wesley:  the 
more  so  in  view  of  the  fearlier  influence  of  the  German 

"This  (from  No.  386)   is  on  a  level  with  much  else: — 

"O  blest  Trinity! 
And  Side's  cavity 
Of  the  Son  v^^ho  bore  our  torment! 
Take  now  towards  your  Contentment, 
This  our  Cross's  Church, 
As  a  glowing  torch." 

And  this   (from  No.  460)  : — 

"Ye  Cross's — air  birds,  swell  the  notes 

Of  the  sweet  Side-hole  Song. 
That  Fountain's  Juice  will  clear  your  throats, 

And  help  to  hold  it  long. 
Each  Day  and  Year  shall  higher  raise 
The  Side-hole's  glory,  love  and  praise : 
Hallelujah!   Hallelujah! 
To  the  Side  Gloria!" 

"On  this  unpleasant  subject  it  will  be  sufficient  to  instance  Hymn 
No.  268,  and  to  refer  to  Southey's  Life  of  Wesley  and  rise  and  prog- 
ress of  Methodism,  ed.  London,  1846,  pp.  172-174,  &  notes  xx  and  xxi. 


268  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

hymns  upon  himself  and  upon  his  brother's  hymn  writing. 
Wesley  had  been  captivated  by  their  fervor  and  piety,  and, 
with  his  imperfect  knowledge  of  German,  had  only  partially 
apprehended  their  doctrine  and  imagery.  Charles  probably 
knew  no  German,^^  and  must  have  derived  his  impressions 
at  second  hand.  Henry  Ward  Beecher  gave  wide  currency 
to  the  view  that  the  Moravian  Hymnody  was  "the  fountain 
in  which  Charles  Wesley  was  baptized,"  and  "his  hymns 
are  only  Moravian  hymns  re-sung."  ^°  Grossly  exaggerated 
as  is  this  view,  it  is  true  that  Charles  Wesley  caught  some- 
thing of  the  Moravian  tone  and  manner, — its  atmosphere 
of  confiding  love  and  a  certain  familiarity  of  intercourse 
with  the  Saviour.  After  he  had  comprehended  the  infe- 
licities of  Moravian  Hymnody,  John  Wesley  maintained  a 
close  watch  upon  his  brother's  hymns  for  anything  in  the 
amatory  way;  and  this  presumably  explains  the  omission  of 
"Jesu,  Lover  of  my  Soul"  from  the  Methodist  Collection 
of  1780. 

But  John  Wesley  went  much  farther.  As  early  as  1 748, 
at  that  time  the  declared  enemy  of  Moravianism,  he  con- 
cluded it  to  be  his  "bounden  Duty  ...  to  publish  to  all 
the  World"  a  few  of  the  Hymns  "as  a  standing  Proof,  that 
there  is  no  folly  too  gross  for  those,  who  are  wise  above 
that  is  written."  ^'^  They  appeared,  without  his  name,  as 
Hymns  composed  for  the  use  of  the  Brethren.  By  the 
Right  Reverend  and  Most  Illustrious  C.  Z.  Published  for 
the  benefit  of  all  mankind,  in  the  year  1749.  This  was 
followed  by  the  anonymous  The  Contents  of  a  folio  History 
of  the  Moravians  or  United  Brethren,  printed  in  1749  .  .  . 
with  suitable  remarks.  .  .  .  By  a  Lover  of  the  Light  (Lon- 
don: J.  Roberts,  1750);  in  which  special  attention  was 
directed  to  the  hymns  embodying  the  Moravian  views  of 
marriage  as  admittedly  "not  fit  to  be  read  by  any  that 

^"Jackson,  Life  of  Charles  Wesley,  vol.  ii,  p.  456. 
"Introduction  to  the  Plymouth  Collection,  N.  Y.,  1855,  p.  v. 
"Journal,  Dec.   15,   1758.     It  is  in  Extract  No.  vii    (i754),  P-   no; 
afterwards  suppressed,  and  restored  in  the  standard  ed.,  vol.  iii.  p.  389. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     269 

attach  bad  ideas  to  bad  expressions."  ^^  Zinzendorf  de- 
clared that  "J-  Wesley's  extract  from  our  hymn-book  has 
done  us  no  injury"  ;^^  but  it  is  to  be  noted  that  only  two  of 
the  hymns  selected  by  Wesley  were  reprinted  in  the  1754 
book,  and  that  the  text  of  other  hymns  was  somewhat 
modified. 

The  publication  of  this  hymn  book,  so  conspicuous  from 
its  size,  attracted  renewed  attention  to  the  Moravian  Hymns. 
Their  weaknesses  were  again  exposed,  by  the  Rev.  John 
Watson,2o  in  A  Letter  to  the  Clergy  of  the  Church  of  the 
Unitas  Fratrum,  concerning  a  remarkable  hook  of  Hymns 
used  in  the  Congregations,  pointing  out  inconsistencies  and 
absurdities  (London,  1756).  It  is  difficult  to  estimate  the 
extent  to  which  the  Collection  of  1754  was  actually  "used 
in  the  Congregations."  ^^  Its  size  and  price  were  against 
it,  and  the  eyes  of  some  must  have  been  opened  to  perceive 
its  offensiveness.  There  is  a  report  that  those  in  authority 
endeavored  to  suppress  it:  they  certainly  neither  revised  it 
nor  provided  anything  in  its  place  until  years  after  Zinzen- 
dorf's  death. 

The  second  authorized  hymn  book,  with  257  numbered 
hymns,  appeared  in  1 769  as  A  Collection  of  Hymns,  chiefly 
extracted  from  the  larger  Hymn  Book  of  the  Brethren's 
Congregations  (London:  at  the  Brethren's  Chapels);  and 
shows  by  its  very  title  that,  the  1754  book  was  still  of 
authority.  The  abridgment  was  nominally  made  upon 
complaints  of  the  earlier  book  as  too  voluminous,  but 
incidentally  much  undesirable  material  was  dropped  out. 
It  was  used  for  twenty  years  "in  all  [Moravian]  places  of 

'*See  Tyerman,  Life  of  John  Wesley,  vol.  ii,  pp.  99.  lOO.  Tyerman 
regarded  this  pamphlet  as  Wesley's,  but  there  seems  to  be  no  evidence 
of  it.  Cf.  Green,  Wesley  Bibliography,  p.  71.  But  Wesley  believed  and 
circulated  (see  Extract  of  Journal,  No.  ix,  published  in  1759,  pp.  5. 
74)  the  scandalous  charges  of  grossly  immoral  practices  among  the 
Moravians,  supported  by  alleged  revelations  from  within. 

^^Memoirs  of  Hutton,  p.  218. 

'""Perpetual  curate  of  Ripponden,  in  the  parish  of  Halifax. 

"Preface  of  1789. 


270  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

worship,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  where  divine  service  is 
performed  in  the  EngHsh  language."  ^^  And  with  it  closes 
the  earlier  period  of  English  Moravian  Hymnody;  certainly 
the  most  singular  episode  in  the  history  of  the  English 
Hymn. 

3.     The  Normal  Period  of  Moravian  Hymnody 
(1789-1901) 

The  normal  period  of  English  Moravian  Hymnody  began 
with  A  Collection  of  Hymns,  for  the  use  of  the  Protestant 
Church  of  the  United  Brethren.  London  printed:  and  sold 
at  the  Brethren's  Chapels,  MDCCLXXXIX.  Zinzendorf 
had  been  dead  for  twenty-nine  years ;  Moravian  experience 
had  been  sobered  and  its  educational  standard  elevated.  In 
this  book  the  early  hymns  are  carefully  sifted  and  the 
residue  reshaped.  New  material  is  drawn  from  the  Barby 
Gesanghuch  of  1778  and  the  collections  of  other  Churches; 
and  some  from  manuscript  sources,  including  unpublished 
hymns  of  Cennick,  father-in-law  of  the  editor,  the  Rev. 
John  Swertner.  The  usual  themes  of  Christian  worship 
are  provided  for,  and  a  rational  classification  of  the  hymns 
is  made.  An  index  of  first  lines  of  all  the  stanzas  testifies 
to  the  Moravian  custom  of  singing  a  single  stanza  in  an 
ejaculatory  way  and  of  making  up  a  hymn  from  scattered 
stanzas.  Such  an  index  became  henceforward  a  feature 
of  Moravian  hymn  books.  With  each  hymn  is  given  the 
number  of  the  appropriate  tune  in  the  Choral  Buch  (Leip- 
zig, 1784)  of  the  Rev,  Christian  Gregor  (editor  of  the 
Gesangbuch  of  1778),  which  became  the  standard  in  Eng- 
land. Some  few  new  metres  were  provided  for  in  the 
Rev.  Christian  Ignatius  La  Trobe's  Hymn-Tunes  sung  in 
the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  (London,  n.  d.). 

A  "new  and  revised  edition"  of  the  Collection  appeared 
at  Manchester  in  1801 ;  a  Supplement  in  1808.  These  were 
combined  and  improved  in  1826;  and  after  this  date  the 

''Ibid. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     271 

hymn  book  became  Liturgy  and  Hymns  for  the  use  of  the 
Protestant  Church  of  the  United  Brethren.  The  revisions 
so  far  had  been  in  the  charge  of  Bishop  Foster.^^  Some 
years  later  the  hymn  book  was  officially  committed  to  the 
hands  of  the  poet  Montgomery,  who  had  been  educated  at 
Fulneck  for  the  Moravian  ministry.  By  him  it  was  sub- 
jected to  a  scrutiny  more  searching  and  a  rescension  more 
free  than  were  ever  before  given  to  a  hymn  book ;  and  the 
results  were  laid  before  the  Provincial  Conference  of  1847.'^^ 
The  new  edition,  with  Montgomery's  revisions  and  addi- 
tions, appeared  in  1849.  An  appendix  followed  in  1876, 
and  a  further  revision  in  1886;  and  the  hymn  book  is  once 
more  in  the  hands  of  revisers  for  a  new  edition. 

During  his  travels  in  America  Count  Zinzendorf  estab- 
lished at  Philadelphia  in  1742  a  Moravian  Church  of  his 
English-speaking  converts  j^^  and  there  is  record  of  the 
publication,  apparently  for  their  use,  of  A  choice  Collection 
of  Hymns:  with  several  new  translations  from  the  Hymn 
Book  of  the  Moravian  Brethren.  Philadelphia:  Isaiah 
Warner  and  Cornelia  Bradford,  17 43."^^  Twenty  years 
later  appeared  A  Hymn  Book  for  the  children  belonging  to 
the  Brethren  s  congregations.  Taken  chiefly  out  of  the 
German  little  hook.  In  three  hooks  .  .  .  Philadelphia: 
printed  in  the  year  MDCCLXIII.^'^  Except  for  these  two 
publications  the  needs  of  the  Philadelphia  church  and  of 

"Holland  and  Everett,  Memoirs  of  James  Montgomery,  London, 
1854-1856,  vol.  vii,  p.  154. 

-^Memoirs  of  Montgomery,  vol.  vi,  pp.  266,  267;  vol.  vii,  pp.  154-157. 

"^Spangenberg,  op.  cit.,  p.  315;  Abraham  Ritter,  History  of  the 
Moravian  Church  in  Philadelphia,  Phila.,  1857,  p.  19.  Zinzendorf  had 
already  prepared  and  printed  for  the  Lutheran  and  German  Reformed 
people  to  whom  he  preached  at  Germantown,  a  little  collection  of 
German  hymns  new  and  old, — Hirten  Lieder  von  Bethlehem  (German- 
town,  C.  Saur,  1742). 

^"Hildeburn's  entry  of  it  (Issues  of  Penna.  Press,  No.  810)  is  ap- 
parently copied  from  an  advertisement:  Evans'  (American  Bibliog- 
raphy, No.  5304)  is  evidently  copied  from  Hildeburn.  Neither  had 
seen  the  book. 

"There  is  a  copy  at  Penna.  Hist.  Soc. 


272  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

congregations  of  English-speaking  people  formed  elsewhere 
were  apparently  supplied  by  importing  copies  of  the  suc- 
cessive editions  of  the  English  hymn  book  till  1813,^^  when 
a  reprint  of  the  Manchester  Collection  of  1801  issued  from 
the  press  of  Conrad  Zentler  at  Philadelphia.  With  this  the 
Supplement  of  1808  was  included.  A  reprint  of  the  edition 
of  1826  followed  and  remained  in  use  till  1851.  In  that 
year,  by  resolution  of  the  Provincial  Synod  of  1849,  ap- 
peared the  first  American  Liturgy  and  Hymns  (Bethlehem), 
based  on  Montgomery's  rescension  of  1849.  The  name  of 
the  author  was  appended  to  each  hymn,  and  a  reference 
given  to  a  suitable  tune  in  the  Rev.  Peter  Wolle's  Hymn 
Times,  used  in  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  (Phila- 
delphia, 1836).  TJie  Liturgy  and  Hymns  of  the  American 
Province  of  the  Unitas  Fratrum  of  1876  (Bethlehem)  was 
the  result  of  a  movement,  begun  in  the  Synod  of  1864,  to 
bring  Moravian  Plymnody  "up  to  the  standard  of  modern 
hymnology,  without  destroying  its  Moravian  character."  ^^ 
This  movement  was  carried  still  further  in  the  third  edition 
of  Offices  of  Worship  and  Hymns  (Bethlehem,  1891),^'^ 
intended  for  church-schools  and  prayer  and  praise  meet- 
ings. 

By  these  successive  revisions  in  England  and  America 
the  Moravian  Hymnody  was  no  doubt  relieved  of  much 
that  was  offensive  or  foolish,  its  translations  were  bettered, 
its  versification  made  more  smooth.  But  it  cannot  be 
questioned  that  in  the  course  of  the  process,  notably  at 
Montgomery's  hands,  its  distinguishing  features  have  be- 
come less  conspicuous,  its  characteristic  flavor  somewhat 
diluted;  and  there  has  been  incorporated  with  it  a  large  body 
of  the  hymns  common  to  all  the  Churches.  In  the  infelicity 
of  their  hymns  that  aimed  to  emphasize  their  sectarian 
tenets,  and  in  the  progressive  tendency  of  their  Hymnody 

^*  "Prior  to  that  time,  hymn-books  were  imported  from  England." 
Preface  to  Liturgy  and  Hymns,  Bethlehem,  1876. 
"'Preface,  p.  6. 
'"ist  ed.,  1866:  2nd  ed.,  1872. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     273 

to  conform  to  a  common  Christian  standard,  the  experience 
of  the  Moravians  has  been  much  Hke  that  of  others  who 
felt  themselves  to  be  "a  pecuhar  people." 

Moravian  hymn  singing  has  been  distinguished  by  its 
emphasis  on  the  spiritual  side,  the  hearty  participation  of 
the  whole  congregation,  its  free  use  of  musical  instru- 
ments, and  its  devotion  to  the  German  choral  type  of 
tunes.^^  Incidentally  the  division  of  the  congregation  into 
"choirs,"  according  to  sex,  age  and  condition,  brought  about 
special  provision  for  Children's  Hymnody;  in  which  field 
the  Moravians  have  to  be  credited  with  more  of  priority 
than  of  excellence.  In  estimating  their  influence  on  Hym- 
nody, it  must  be  remembered  that  it  was  the  German  rather 
than  the  English  Moravian  Hymnod}'  which,  through  its 
contact  with  the  Wesleys,  put  a  new  warmth  into  English 
hymn  singing,  and  something  of  its  tone  of  familiar  and 
confiding  love  into  the  English  Hymn.  Some  of  Zinzen- 
dorf's  German  hymns  have  entered  into  English  Hymnody, 
through  versions  of  Wesley  and  others : — notably  "Jesus, 
Thy  blood  and  righteousness" ;  "O  Thou  to  whose  all- 
searching  sight";  "Jesus,  still  lead  on";  and  "Christ  will 
gather  in  His  own." 

English  Moravianism  has  developed  very  few  hymn 
writers  of  distinction.  Of  its  early  contributors,  hymns 
and  translations  by  John  Gambold,  James  Hutton,  John  D. 
Lilley,  John  Miller,  L.  T.  Nyberg,  John  Swertner  and  some 
others,  are  still  in  Moravian  use;  hymns  of  John  Cennick 
and  William  Hammond  are  in  common  use.  But  Cennick's 
early  hymns  were  written  while  he  was  associated  with 
Wesley,  who  corrected  them  for  the  press;  and  much  of  his 
best  work  was  done  while  assisting  Whitefield,  who  gave 
his  hymns  their  circulation.  The  Psalms,  Hymns,  and 
Spiritual  Songs  (London,  1745)  of  Hammond  are  of  merit, 
but  must  have  been  written  before  joining  the  Moravians. 

^'For  the  singing  at  Fulneck,  see  J.  S.  Curwen,  Studies  in  Worship 
Music,  2nd  series,  pp.  57  ff;  for  that  in  America,  see  Ritter,  Moravian 
Church  in  Philadelphia,  chap.  xxv. 


274  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Of  later  Moravian  hymn  writers  C.  I.  La  Trobe  and 
Bishop  F.  W.  Foster  are  esteemed  within  the  denomination  : 
James  Montgomery  is  the  one  distinguished  name.  And 
he,  by  reason  of  the  looseness  of  his  affiliations  and  his 
catholic-heartedness,  must  be  counted  as  belonging  to  the 
general  choir  rather  than  with  Moravians. 


vn 

DEFLEXIONS   OF   METHODIST   SONG   AFTER 
WESLEY'S   DEATH 

When  the  lines  between  Wesleyan  Methodism  on  the 
one  hand  and  Moravianism  and  Calvinistic  Methodism  on 
the  other  had  been  definitely  established,  Wesley  himself 
became  and  continued  to  be  the  centre  of  union  of  the 
United  Societies.  By  the  Deed  of  Declaration  the  United 
Societies  became,  on  Wesley's  death  in  1791,  a  "Connexion" 
but  not  a  separate  Church ;  with  provision  for  a  continuance 
of  Wesley's  authority  in  a  Conference  of  ministers.  But 
the  great  question  of  the  relation  of  the  Connexion  to  the 
Established  Church  remained  undetermined,  and  the  people 
were  unwilling  that  either  an  autocrat  or  body  of  ministers 
should  exercise  Wesley's  authority.  There  followed  a 
period  of  controversy,  resistance  to  authority  and  schism. 
Numerous  preachers  were  expelled;  and  one  after  another 
of  these  became  the  leader  of  an  independent  movement, 
and  with  his  sympathizers  the  nucleus  of  an  independent 
Methodist  sect.  In  the  course  of  time  these  seceding  bodies 
have  grown  in  numbers  to  constitute  in  the  aggregate  almost 
one  half  of  British  Methodism,  and  demand  therefore  some 
attention  to  their  Hymnody.  In  the  case  of  each  secession 
its  leaders  and  people  took  in  their  hearts  their  warm  love 
for  Methodist  Song  and  in  their  hands  their  familiar  copies 
of  Wesley's  Collection  of  1780.  The  Collection  thus  became 
the  nucleus  of  the  independent  Methodist  Hymnody,  and 
with  such  changes  and  supplements  as  gave  expression  to 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     275 

denominational  proclivities,  continued  to  form  the  main 
body  of  it. 

(i)  The  Methodist  New  Connexion  was  formed  by 
the  followers  of  Alexander  Kilham,  expelled  by  Confer- 
ence in  1796  for  administering  Holy  Communion,  and 
stood  for  the  rights  of  the  laity,  especially  that  of  receiving 
the  sacraments  in  their  own  chapels.  Its  first  Conference 
authorized  an  issue  of  the  Collection,  with  a  significant 
supplement  of  hymns  for  sacraments  and  festivals.^-  A 
few  years  later  a  Supplement  of  276  hymns  was  issued, 
which  passed  through  several  editions.  In  1835  appeared 
the  larger  Hymns  for  the  use  of  the  Methodist  New  Con- 
nexion. Principally  from  the  Collection  of  the  Rev.  John 
Wesley,  M.A.  In  the  preface  the  argument  for  Social 
Praise  is  traversed  de  novo.  The  Collection  is  regarded 
with  discriminating  admiration,  and  from  it  and  the  Supple- 
ment of  1 83 1  the  editors  extracted  "all  that  which,  for 
poetic  merit,"  spiritual  fitness,  "and  for  adaptation  of  metre 
to  the  existing  taste  for  psalmody,  was  suited  to  the  object 
which  they  had  in  view."  This  served  till  the  demand 
for  some  of  the  newer  hymns,  led  to  the  issue  of  Hymns 
for  Divine  worship.  Compiled  for  the  use  of  the  Methodist 
New  Connexion  (London,  1863).  For  this  the  sources 
of  Hymnody  were  widely  examined,  and  its  editor,  the 
Rev.  Henry  Piggin,  attempted  not  only  to  verify  the  text, 
but  also  to  give  the  authorship  and  date,  of  each  of  its 
1024  hymns.  The  Hymnody  of  the  New  Connexion  was 
happily  amalgamated  with  that  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodists 
by  the  official  adoption  of  The  Methodist  Hymn  Book  of 
1904,  in  whose  preparation  representatives  of  the  Connexion 
had  cooperated. 

(2)  The  Primitive  Methodists  stood  for  freedom  in 
revival  methods,  and  organized  after  the  expulsion  in  1808 
of  Hugh  Bourne,  caused  by  his  persistence  in  holding 
camp  meetings.  In  this  innovation  Bourne  was  much  in- 
fluenced by  the  reports  brought  over  by  Lorenzo  Dow  of  the 

'"'A  new  History  of  Methodism,  vol.  i,  p.  501. 


276  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

success  of  the  camp  meeting  experiment  in  America. ^^  In 
England  as  in  America  the  camp  meeting  was  fek  to 
demand  a  new  type  of  hymn,  famiHar  in  style,  adapted  to 
stirring  melodies,  and  making  use  of  the  refrain  or 
"chorus."  Bourne  had  already  printed  in  1809  A  general 
Collection  of  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  for  camp-meet- 
ings, revivals,  &c.,  in  which  he  made  much  use  of  Dow's 
hymn  book,  and  included  his  own  characteristic  "Camp 
Meetings  with  success  are  crown'd."  The  book  became  so 
popular  that  its  sale  often  paid  the  expenses  of  conducting 
a  mission  on  new  ground  ;'^^  and  the  rude  heartiness  of  the 
singing  did  much  to  extend  the  new  Church,  giving  rise  to 
the  expression,  "You  sing  like  a  Primitive."  ^^ 

The  Annual  Meeting  in  May,  1821,  directed  the  prepara- 
tion of  a  larger  collection,  "properly  suited  to  the  purposes 
of  worship,"^*'  which  appeared  the  same  year  as  A  Collection 
of  Hymns,  for  camp  meetings,  revivals,  &c.,  for  the  use 
of  the  Primitive  Methodists.  Edited  by  Hugh  Bourne 
(Bemersly  near  Tunstall).  This  collection  of  154  Hymns, 
including  many  from  the  earlier  book,  came  to  be  known 
as  The  small  Hymn  Book,  and  to  be  widely  identified  by 
its  opening  couplet : — 

"Christ  he  sits  on  Zion's  hill, 
He  receives  poor  Sinners  still." 

With  the  demand  for  more  hymns.  Bourne  issued  in 
1825  The  large  Hymn  Book,  for  the  use  of  the  Primitive 
Methodists.  Of  its  536  hymns,  there  are  some  twenty  new 
hymns  by  Bourne,  sixteen  by  William  Sanders,  a  pastor 
who  afterwards  came  to  America,  and  146  by  "Hugh  Bourne 

^^History  of  the  Primitive  Methodists.  By  Hugh  Bourne,  re- 
printed in  Lorenzo  Dow's  Works.  See  ed.  New  York,  1854,  vol.  ii, 
p.  267.  The  American  camp  meeting  and  its  Hymnody  will  be  duly 
considered  later  in  this  chapter. 

^*A  new  History  of  Methodism,  vol.  i,  p.  586 :  "Primitive  Methodist 
Psalmody"  in  The  Choir,  No.  i,  for  Jan.  1910,  p.  9. 

^'"The  Choir,  ut  supra. 

'"Preface  of  Aug.  10,  1821. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     277 

and  Wm.  Sanders,  jointly."  ^'^  Bourne  was  thus  one  of 
the  founders  of  EngHsh  "Camp-meeting  Methodism"  and 
for  many  years  the  ruhng  spirit  of  its  Hymnody.  He 
regarded  the  camp  meeting  as  the  development  of  Wesley's 
field  preaching,  and  its  songs  as  a  needed  supplement  to 
Wesleyan  Hymnody.  It  is  altogether  unlikely  that  Wesley 
would  have  approved  the  camp  meeting,  and  it  is  quite 
certain  that  he  would  have  said  sharp  things  of  the  hymns 
of  Dow  and  Bourne  and  Sanders. 

With  the  growth  of  the  denomination,  some  years  after 
the  superannuation  of  Bourne,  the  Conference  put  its  Hym- 
nody into  the  hands  of  John  Flesher,  Bourne's  successor  in 
the  Book  Room.  He  prepared,  and  published  in  1854 
The  Primitive  Methodist  Hymn  Book.  Partly  compiled 
from  the  large  and  small  Hymn  hooks,  prepared  by  the 
late  Mr.  Hugh  Bourne,  partly  from  hymns  by  numerous 
popular  authors,  .  .  .  and  enriched  with  original  Hymns, 
and  selected  ones,  altered  or  re-made.  It  was  loyally  ac- 
cepted, widely  used  (9th  ed.  1861),  and  slightly  revised  in 
1864.  Flesher 's  sense  of  unfitness  for  the  task,  his  depend- 
ence on  his  wife's  scrap  books,  and  his  denial  that  "Provi- 
dence had  stereotyped  the  production  of  any  poet,"  are 
naively  set  forth  in  the  preface.  His  habitual  mutilation 
of  the  texts  of  the  hymns  must  have  been  a  trial  to  some 
"Primitives,"  and  brought  some  reproach  upon  the  de- 
nomination. It  is  likely  that  more  were  annoyed  by  his 
omission  of  so  many  revival  hymns;  and  this  led  to  a  new 
collection  for  camp  meetings,  edited  by  William  Harland.^*^ 

But  the  denomination  was  growing  into  a  great  Christian 
community,  and  must  have  been  gradually  elevating  its 
educational  standards,  for  by  its  next  step  in  Hymnody 
it  passed,  as  by  a  bound,  to  the  foremost  place  in  the  newer 
Methodist  Church  Song.     Its  new  book,  prepared  by  direc- 

''For  Sanders,  and  for  such  of  these  hymns  as  are  retained  in  the 
standard  Hymnal  of  1887,  see  Dorricott  and  Collins,  Lyric  Studies, 
hereafter  referred  to. 

^^The  Choir,  for  Jan.  1910,  p.  9. 


278  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

tion  of  the  Conference  of  1882,  appeared  in  1887  as  The 
Primitive  Methodist  Hymnal.  Of  its  1052  hymns,  500  are 
Wesleyan :  the  remainder  is  a  judicious  winnowing  of  the 
whole  body  of  Hymnody  ancient  and  modern.  Much 
editorial  care  was  given  to  the  texts  of  the  hymns,  and  an 
annotated  edition  appeared  as  Lyric  Studies:  a  Hymnal 
Guide.  By  Revs.  I.  Dorricott  and  T.  Collins  (London, 
n.  d.).  After  twenty-five  years,  the  Hymnody  was  further 
enriched  by  a  carefully  prepared  Supplement  of  295  hymns, 
especially  aiming  to  make  use  of  recent  hymns.^^  This 
appeared  in  September,  1912,  and  was  warmly  welcomed 
by  a  Church  that  delights  in  being  "modern."  Doubtless 
some  future  winnowing  will  reduce  the  inconvenient  bulk 
of  1347  authorized  hymns. 

(3)  The  United  Methodist  Free  Churches  repre- 
sent a  succession  of  schisms,  whose  departures  from  Wes- 
leyan Hymnody  are  less  characteristic.  "The  Protestant 
Methodists"  went  out  in  1827  on  occasion  of  erecting  an 
organ  by  the  trustees  of  Brunswick  Wesleyan  Chapel,  Leeds, 
in  opposition  to  the  majority  of  the  members  and  the  local 
preachers. ^^  They  stood  against  encroachment  upon  sim- 
plicity of  worship,  which  Wesley  so  much  feared,  especially 
against  instrumental  music,  the  introduction  of  which 
Wesley  hedged  about  with  restrictions.  Seventy  local 
preachers  and  a  thousand  suspended  or  revolting  members 
became  the  nucleus  of  Protestant  Methodists.  With  this 
body  united  in  1834  the  followers  of  Dr.  Samuel  Warren, 
father  of  the  famous  novelist,  expelled  during  the  contro- 
versy as  to  the  formation  of  a  theological  training  school. 
The  two  bodies  united  as  the  "Wesleyan  Methodist  Associa- 
tion," and  adopted  Wesley's  Collection,  with  a  small  supple- 
ment of  their  own.     Another  Supplements^  was  prepared 

'"For  an  authoritative  account  of  it,  see  The  British  Weekly  for 
January  25,  1912. 

*"The  controversy  turned  upon  technical  points.  For  particulars 
see  A  new  History  of  Methodism,  vol.  i,  pp.  425,  426,  514,  517. 

"For  an  account  of  it,  see  G.  J.  Stevenson  in  Julian,  Dicty.  of  Hym- 
nology,  p.  731. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     279 

in  1853  for  a  body  of  "Wesleyan  Reformers,"  formed  at 
the  expulsion  of  Everett  and  Dunn"  foj.  contumacy. 

When  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Association  and  the 
Reformers  united  in  1857  as  "The  United  Methodist  Free 
Churches,"  they  appointed  James  Everett  and  Matthew 
Baxter  to  prepare  a  new  hymn  book,  which  consisted  in 
Wesley's  Collection,  with  a  Supplement  (1861)  of  250 
hymns.^^  This  served  until  the  appearance  in  1889  of 
Methodist  Free  Church  Hymns,  well  prepared,  but  without 
special  distinction.  In  1907  the  Methodist  Free  Churches 
joined  with  the  Methodist  New  Connexion  and  the  Bible 
Christians  to  form  "The  United  Methodist  Church."  With 
the  adoption  by  that  body  of  The  Methodist  Hymn  Book 
of  1904,  the  Hymnody  of  the  Free  Churches  rejoined  the 
main  stream  of  Methodist  Hymnody,  from  which  it  had 
never  widely  diverged. 

(4)  The  Bible  Christians  grew  out  of  the  expulsion 
of  William  O'Bryan  for  unauthorized  missionary  work  in 
Devon  and  Cornwall ;  and  first  organized  as  an  independent 
congregation  at  Shebbaer  in  181 5.  They  were  separated 
from  the  New  Connexion  principally  for  lack  of  facilities 
for  intercourse;  and  their  Hymnody  is  not  much  differ- 
entiated from  that  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodists,  from  whom 
O'Bryan  was  no  willing  seceder.  At  the  time  of  their  first 
Conference  in  1819,  he  prepared  a  denominational  hymn 
book,  known  later  as  A  Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  use  of 
the  People  called  Bible  Christians.  It  was  enlarged  in  1838, 
and  again  revised  in  1862.  It  is  little  more  than  a  re- 
arrangement of  Wesley's  Collection.  A  new  hymn  book 
was  ordered  by  the  Conference  of  1885,  and  appeared  a  few 
years  later  with  a  similar  title.  In  1907  The  Bible  Chris- 
tians joined  with  the  New  Connexion  and  the  Free  Churches 
to  form  The  United  Methodist  Church,  using  The  Methodist 
Hymn  Book  of  1904. 

"Samuel  Dunn,  became  a  hymn  writer,  and  his  Hymns  for  pastors 
and  people,  were  published  by  his  brother   (London,  1862). 
*'Ibid. 


28o  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

The  Primitive  Methodists  are  thus  left  as  the  only  great 
body  of  British  Methodists  who  decline  to  unite  in  a  com- 
mon Hymnody.  The  Methodist  Church  of  Australasia  has 
also  adopted  the  English  Hymn  Book.  In  Canada  the 
various  divisions  of  Methodism  used  Wesley's  Collection, 
or  the  book  in  vogue  in  the  same  body  at  home.  With 
the  union  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodists  and  Methodist  New 
Connexion  in  1874,  a  new  book  appeared  as  Methodist 
Hymn  Book  (iSSo).'*'*  It  aimed  to  preserve  all  the  hymns 
of  1780  whose  use  had  survived  the  century,  and  added 
some  300  more.  At  the  great  reunion  of  Canadian  Meth- 
odism in  1883  the  book  was  adopted  by  the  United  Church, 
and  republished  as  Methodist  Hymn  Book.  Compiled  and 
published  by  authority  of  the  General  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Church  (Toronto  and  Halifax,  1884).  The 
preparation  of  a  new  hymn  and  tune  book  has  been  pro- 
ceeding since  1910;  but  many  still  cherish  the  hope  of  a 
common  Methodist  Hymnal  for  use  throughout  the  world. 


VIII 

THE    HYMNODY    OF    AMERICAN    METHODISM 

I.     Wesley's  Effort  to  Control  it    (1784) 

John  Wesley's  first  hymn  book  had  been  printed  in  xA.mer- 
ica  in  1737,  for  his  use  as  a  Church  of  England  missionary. 
As  it  happened  the  Hymns  and  sacred  Poems  of  1739  was 
reprinted  by  the  Bradfords  at  Philadelphia  in  1740.^^ 
Whitefield  had  brought  it  over,  and  was  at  work  in  Phila- 

"Music  was  provided  in  Methodist  Tune  Book  (Toronto  and  Hali- 
fax, 1881).  A  belated  edition  of  Wesley's  Collection  and  Supplement 
"with  accompanying  tunes  by  eminent  composers"  had  appeared  in 
1874  (Toronto:  Methodist  Book  Room). 

*^Hymns  and  sacred  Poems.  Published  by  John  Wesley,  M.  A., 
Fellow  of  Lincoln  College,  Oxford;  and  Charles  Wesley,  M.A., 
Student  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford.  [Text]  Philadelphia:  printed  by 
Andrew  and  William  Bradford,  and  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  Poor 
in  Georgia.  MDCCXL. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     281 

delphia,  but  did  not  reprint  the  book  for  use  in  his  meetings, 
for  which  indeed  it  was  poorly  adapted.  It  was  published 
by  subscription;  one  of  his  devices  to  raise  money  for 
Georgia,  where  he  was  carrying  forward  the  Wesleys'  work. 

By  1766  Embury  in  New  York  and  Strawbridge  in 
Maryland  began  to  form  Methodist  societies.  In  their 
meetings  copies  of  any  of  the  English  hymn  publications 
of  the  Wesleys  that  were  in  the  hands  of  Methodist  immi- 
grants were  presumably  made  to  serve  for  lining  out  the 
hymns.  Three  of  these  were  reprinted  by  Melchior  Steiner 
of  Philadelphia  in  1781,  gathered  into  a  single  volume  of 
357  pages,  in  three  parts: — i.  Hymns  for  those  that  seek 
and  those  that  have  redemption  in  the  Blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  (pp.  4,  65) ;  ii.  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs,  intended 
for  the  use  of  real  Christians  of  all  denominations  (pp.  4, 
136)  ;  and  Hi.  A  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns.  Pub- 
lished by  John  Wesley,  M.A.,  Fellow  of  Lincoln  College, 
Oxford;  and  Charles  Wesley,  M.A.,  Student  of  Christ 
Church,  Oxford  (pp.  4,  144).  The  first  of  these  parts  was 
the  hymn  book  then  in  general  use  in  English  congregations, 
and  the  second  in  class  meetings;  and  in  England  also  it 
was  customary  to  bind  the  two  together.'*'^  This  reprint 
was  probably  for  the  use  of  St.  George's  Church,  estab- 
lished in  Philadelphia  about  1770,  and  having  the  largest 
Methodist  house  of  worship  in  America.^ ^ 

From  time  to  time  Wesley  had  responded  to  the  appeal 
of  his  American  followers  for  more  preachers.  When  at 
length  he  thought  the  time  had  come  to  organize  them  into 
a  church,  his  provision  ranged  from  his  appointment  of 
"Doctor  Coke  and  Mr.  Francis  Asbury,  to  be  joint  Super- 
intendents" to  the  smallest  detail  of  their  worship.  He 
wished  the  Sunday  worship  in  America  as  in  England  to  be 
liturgical,   and  prepared  a  modification  of   The  Book   of 

"See  R,  Green,  Bibliography,  2nd  ed.,  1906,  No.  165.  In  Steiner's 
reprint,  parts  ii  &  iii  are  so  designated  in  the  heading  of  each  page. 

*7no.  Lednum,  A  History  of  the  rise  of  Methodism  in  America, 
Philadelphia,  1859,  chap.  v. 


282  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Common  Prayer,  printed  at  London,  1784,  as  The  Sunday 
Service  of  the  Methodists  in  North  America.  With  other 
occasional  Services.  London:  printed  in  the  year 
MDCCLXXXIV.^^  Having  then,  as  always,  a  great  dread 
of  the  intrusion  of  doggerel  or  objectionable  hymns  into 
Methodist  Song,  he  printed  at  the  same  time  and  for  the 
same  use  A  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  the  Lord's 
Day.  Published  by  John  Wesley,  M.A.,  Late  Fellow  of 
Lincoln  College,  Oxford;  and  Charles  Wesley,  M.A.,  Late 
Student  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford.  London:  printed  in  the 
year  MDCCLXXXIV.  It  contained  118  numbers,  selected 
from  the  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  1741,  one  of  the  most 
useful  hymn  books  at  home.  A  supply  of  these  two  books 
in  sheets  he  sent  over  by  the  hands  of  Coke  and  his  com- 
panions, with  a  commendatory  letter,  dated  from  the  wharf 
at  "Bristol,  Sept.  10,  1784"  where  they  embarked;  advising 
"all  the  travelling-preachers  to  use  [the  liturgy]  on  the 
Lord's  day,  in  all  their  congregations,  reading  the  litany 
only  on  Wednesdays  and  Fridays,  and  praying  extempore 
on  all  other  days." 

Coke  presented  this  letter,  with  the  printed  sheets,  at  a 
"General  Conference"  (the  first)  held  at  Baltimore  in 
December,  1784.  The  Conference  "agreed  to  form  a 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  zvhich  the  Liturgy  (as 
presented  by  the  Rev.  John  Wesley)  should  be  read,  and  the 
sacraments  be  administered  by  a  superintendent,  elders,  and 
deacons,  who  shall  be  ordained  by  a  presbytery,  using  the 
Episcopal  form,  as  prescribed  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wesley's 
prayer-book."  ^^     After  the  Conference  Coke  had  Wesley's 

**The  history  of  this  book  is  not  altogether  clear.  It  appears  to 
have  been  prepared  before  deciding  on  Dr.  Coke's  mission,  and  some 
copies  apparently  preceded  him  to  America.  There  were  two  differing 
issues  of  the  first  edition  in  1784.  (See  sale  catalogue  of  Bishop 
John  F.  Hurst's  library,  items  2403,  2404.)  For  later  editions,  see 
Green's  Bibliography,  appendix  to  2nd  ed.,  p.  viii. 

^"Whatcoat's  notes  (the  italics  are  his),  quoted  in  Abel  Stevens, 
History  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  New  York, 
n.  d.,  vol.  ii,  pp.  183,  184. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     283 

letter  printed  at  Philadelphia,  as  also  Minutes  of  several 
conversations  between  the  Rev.  Thomas  Coke,  LL.D,,  the 
Rev.  Francis  Ashury  and  others,  at  a  Conference  begun  in 
Baltimore,  in  the  State  of  Maryland,  on  Monday,  the  27th 
of  December,  in  the  year  1784.  Composing  a  Form  of 
Discipline  for  the  Ministers,  Preachers  and  other  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  America  (Phila- 
delphia, Chas.  Cist,  1785).  He  then  had  the  whole  col- 
lection bound  up  into  one  volume  as  the  credentials,  the 
Liturgy,  the  Discipline  and  the  Hymn  Book  of  the  new 
Church. 

Wesley's  act  in  preparing  a  liturgical  constitution  for 
American  Methodism,  and  choosing  their  psalms  and  hymns, 
was  quite  characteristic,  and  its  ratification  by  the  Confer- 
ence a  matter  of  course.  The  American  bishops  presumably 
did  their  best  to  carry  out  Wesley's  wishes.  Authority 
was  given  to  "our  Helpers  to  read  the  Morning  and  Even- 
ing Service  out  of  our  Liturgy  on  the  Lord's  Day,"  and  the 
Preachers  were  directed  to  "sing  no  hymns  of  [their]  own 
composing."  ^^  Such  a  prohibition  seems  strange  enough, 
in  view  of  the  habits  of  the  Wesleys  themselves,  to  say 
nothing  of  Watts  and  Doddridge.  No  doubt  it  was  based 
on  Wesley's  own  observation  of  revival  scenes,  and  aimed 
to  suppress  the  doggerel  verses  given  out  spontaneously 
under  the  excitements  of  emotional  preaching  and  caught 
up  by  the  responsive  crowd. 

A  second  edition  of  the  prayer  book  with  the  Psalms  and 
Hymns  appeared  at  London  in  1786.  In  the  preface  to  A 
Pocket  Hymn  Book  of  1790,  Bishops  Coke  and  Asbury 
promised  a  third  edition  with  "a  complete  version  of  the 
Psalms,  selected  from  the  best  divine  Poets  that  have 
written."  No  such  edition  is  known,  and  the  promise  dis- 
appeared from  later  issues  of  the  preface.  There  was,  how- 
ever, a  "fourth  edition"  (London,  1790)  in  which  prayers 
for  "George,  Thy  servant,  our  King  and  Governor,''  "and 
especially  Thy  servants  the  Rulers  of  these  United  States" 

^Minutes  of  several  Conversations,  1785:  Questions  34,  55- 


284  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

are  strangely  commingled.'^ ^  This  edition  also  contained  the 
Psalms  and  Hymns. 

For  a  few  years  The  Sunday  Service  with  its  hymn  book 
was  used  in  the  principal  congregations,^^  but  even  there 
gradually  allowed  to  disappear,  with  the  gowns  and  bands 
of  the  preachers  and  other  refinements  dear  to  Wesley's 
heart.  In  John  Street  Chapel,  New  York,  the  plan  adopted 
seems  to  have  been  that  of  so  preoccupying  the  time  of 
worship  with  Sunday  love- feasts  and  other  exercises  that 
no  opportunity  remained  for  reading  The  Sunday  Service. 
In  many  places  the  book  was  never  introduced,^^  and  was 
indeed  too  large  and  expensive  to  meet  the  conditions  of  the 
time.  In  the  Discipline  of  1792,  there  is  for  the  first  time 
no  mention  of  The  Sunday  Service. ^^  It  had  been  shelved 
by  common  consent. 

In  fact  the  Church  that  was  developing  on  the  field  in 
America  was  a  different  one  from  that  laid  out  on  paper 
in  England.  In  his  liturgical  arrangements  Wesley  had 
ignored  the  fact  that  liturgical  worship  did  not  accord  with 
the  taste  or  habits  of  the  class  of  people  who  had  embraced 
Methodism  in  America.  The  people  were  ignorant,  the 
preachers  itinerant,  the  meetings  as  often  as  not  in  the 
cabins  or  in  the  fields,  and  the  singing  largely  without  books, 
other  than  the  one  in  the  preacher's  hand.  The  tunes  must 
be  very  familiar  or  very  contagious,  the  words  given  out 
one  or  two  lines  at  a  time  if  not  already  known.  Under 
these  conditions  the  development  of  free  ways  in  worship 
and  of  a  rude  type  of  popular  song,  indifferent  to  anything 
in  the  way  of  an  authorized  Hymnody,  seems  to  have  been 
inevitable. 

"Also  a  "fourth  edition"  of  1792  with  the  American  allusions 
omitted. 

^'Stevens,  op.  cit.,  vol.  ii,  p.  198. 

''Ibid. 

"  "  'The  Sunday  Service'  appears  never  to  have  been  popular  in  the 
American  Societies,  and  was  laid  aside  the  instant  they  were  free  from 
the  direct  supervision  of  Mr.  Wesley."  D.  Sherman,  History  of  the 
Revision  of  the  Discipline,  New  York,  1874,  p.  25. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     285 

2.     The  Struggle  Between  "Mr.  Wesley's  Hymns" 
AND   Popular   Songs    (1784-1848) 

There  was  much  in  these  conditions  that  would  have 
appealed  to  Wesley's  heart.  But  if  he  had  been  on  the 
field  he  would  have  insisted  on  the  intrusion  of  educational 
standards  into  the  revival  methods  being  pursued,  and  he 
would  have  checked  at  the  fountain  head,  as  even  in  his 
absence  he  tried  to  do,  the  development  of  an  illiterate 
and  often  vulgar  Revival  Hymnody.  Most  of  all  he  would 
have  distinguished  between  the  freer  method  of  field  work 
and  the  established  sanctities  of  God's  house. 

In  his  absence  the  bishops  had  to  deal  with  a  consider- 
able spirit  of  "American  independence,"  and  much  unregu- 
lated enthusiasm.  American  Methodism  became  the  fullest 
embodiment  of  a  condition  obtaining  in  several  denomina- 
tions, viz.,  that  the  popular  religious  songs  do  not  necessarily 
agree  with  the  authorized  Church  Song.  This  no  doubt 
was  an  incident  of  the  choice  of  the  revival  method  of 
church  growth.  It  is  of  the  very  nature  of  revival  enthusi- 
asm to  develop  its  own  song,  and  of  all  religious  agencies 
it  is  the  least  amenable  to  church  authority.  The  entire 
course  of  Methodist  Episcopal  Hymnody  may  be  viewed 
as  a  continuous  effort  to  keep  the  Church  on  a  level  suffi- 
ciently described  as  Wesleyan,  and  a  failure  to  cooperate 
therein  on  the  part  of  a  considerable  section  of  the  people 
who  preferred  the  plane  of  the  Revival  Hymn  and  the 
popular  Spiritual  Song. 

That  such  was  the  situation  from  the  very  first  appears 
from  the  Minutes  of  a  Conference  begun  in  Virginia  and 
ended  at  Baltimore  in  April  and  May  of  1784.^^  The  14th 
query  was,  "How  shall  we  reform  our  singing?"  and  the 
answer:  "Let  all  our  preachers  who  have  any  knowledge 
in  the  notes,  improve  it  by  learning  to  sing  true  themselves, 
and  keeping  close  to  Mr.  Wesley's  tunes  and  hymns." 

''^Minutes  of  the  Methodist  Conferences  annually  held  in  America, 
from  177s  to  1794,  inclusive,  Philadelphia,  1795,  p.  71. 


286  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

We  are  now  at  the  point  where  the  Psalms  and  Hymns 
attached  to  The  Sunday  Service  becomes  the  first  authorized 
hymn  book  of  American  Methodism,  and  is  proving  un- 
popular. This  suggests  the  inquiry,  What  other  hymn 
books  had  been  in  use  before  its  organization  and  were 
still  available?  Our  only  information  is  supplied  by  the 
bishops'  preface  of  1790,  already  referred  to: — 

"The  Hymn-Books  which  have  been  already  published  among  us 
are  truly  excellent.  The  select  Hymns,  the  double  collection  of 
Hymns  and  Psalms  (the  latter  of  which  may  be  supplied  by  a  com- 
plete version  of  the  Psalms,  selected  from  the  best  divine  Poets  that 
have  written,  which  we  promise  to  publish  with  a  third  and  more 
complete  edition  of  our  Prayer-Book)  and  the  Redemption-Hymns, 
display  great  spirituality  as  well  as  purity  of  diction.  The  large 
Congregational  Hymn-Book  is  admirable  indeed,  but  is  too  expensive 
for  the  poor,  who  have  little  time  and  less  money.  The  Pocket 
Hymn-Book  lately  sent  abroad  in  these  States,  is  a  most  valuable 
performance  for  those  who  are  deeply  spiritual,  but  is  better  suited 
to  the  European  Methodists,  among  whom  all  the  before-mentioned 
books  have  been  thoroughly  circulated  for  many  years." 

This  list  is  somewhat  puzzling.  A  recent  historian  of 
Methodism^"  has  assumed  that  the  opening  reference  to 
the  books  "already  published  among  us"  implies  "us  Amer- 
ican Methodists";  adding  that  "these  native  reprints  have 
utterly  perished."  Without  insisting  that  both  writers  of 
the  preface  were  Englishmen,  it  must  be  said  to  be  very 
improbable  that  so  many  "reprints,"  one  of  them  "large" 
and  "expensive,"  should  have  appeared  and  disappeared 
without  leaving  a  trace.  The  "select  Hymns"  is  probably 
Wesley's  Select  Hymns:  [133]  zvith  Tunes  [102]  annext 
of  1 761,  and  which  (with  or  without  the  tunes)  reached 
a  tenth  edition  in  1787.  Possibly  its  tunes  are  those  re- 
ferred to  at  the  Baltimore  Conference.  "The  double  col- 
lection of  Hymns  and  Psalms"  is  presumably  the  collection 
of  1 741  in  two  parts,  or  its  abridgment  attached  to  The 
Sunday  Service;  an  enlargement  of  the  Psalms  being  prom- 
ised in  connection  with  a  new  revision  of  the  Service.    "The 

"Trof.  J.  A.  Faulkner  in  A  new  History  of  Methodism,  London, 
1909,  vol.  ii,  p.  142. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     287 

Redemption  Hymns"  may  refer  to  either  the  Enghsh  edition 
or  Steiner's  reprint,  or  to  both.  "The  large  Congregational 
Hymn-Book"  was  surely  the  standard  Collection  of  1780; 
a  book  so  important  that  some  copies  must  have  been  in  the 
hands  of  American  ministers. 

The  disparaged  "Pocket  Hymn  Book"  is  more  doubtful. 
We  know  three  books  of  that  name  then  extant: — (i)  The 
(York)  Pocket  Hymn  Book  of  Robert  Spence,  the  book- 
seller (1781  and  later),  unauthorized  and  disapproved  of 
by  Wesley  for  some  "objectionable"  Hymns,  (ii)  ^  Pocket 
Hymn  Book  for  the  use  of  Christians  of  all  denominations 
(London,  1785);  Wesley's  unsuccessful  protest  against 
Spence.  (iii)  Wesley's  book,  with  the  same  title,  of  1787; 
really  an  adaptation  of  Spence's. 

There  had  been  apparently  a  reprint  of  Spence's  book  at 
New  York  as  early  as  1786.^'^  Two  years  later  appeared 
A  Pocket  Hymn  Book:  designed  as  a  constant  Companion 
for  the  pious.  Collected  from  various  authors.  Ninth 
Edition.^^  Philadelphia:  printed  by  Joseph  James,  Chesnut- 
street.  M.  DCC.  LXXXVHL  This  was  Spence's  book, 
with  "Part  II,"  of  27  hymns,  added,  probably  by  Bishop 
Coke.^^  In  1790  appeared  the  "tenth"  and  "eleventh" 
editions,  with  the  same  title,  printed  at  Philadelphia  for 
John  Dickins,  the  Book  Steward,  and  containing  the 
bishops'  preface  now  under  discussion.^^     It  is  a  reprint  of 

"Our  only  knowledge  is  from  the  item  "Pocket  Hymn  Book, 
designed  as  a  Constant  Companion  of  the  Pious  (Wesley's).  New 
York,  1786,"  in  A  Catalogue  of  the  Liturgies  .  .  .  in  the  Stinneckc 
Maryland  Episcopal  Library.  Privately  printed,  1881.  The  book  itself 
cannot  at  present  be  found. 

^^This  does  not  mean  that  eight  previous  editions  had  been  printed 
in  this  country,  as  is  assumed  in  the  Report  of  the  Committee  to  the 
Bishops  on  The  Revision  of  the  Hymn  Book  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  New  York,  1878,  p.  5. 

"^^In  choosing,  for  reprinting,  a  book  Wesley  did  not  like.  Coke  was 
no  doubt  led  by  considerations  of  its  handy  size  and  suitableness,  but 
it  may  be  noted  that  Spence  was  his  intimate  friend. 

""There  appeared  also  a  "ninth  edition,"  with  the  same  title  and 
contents,  and  without  the  bishops'  preface  of  1790,  at  Baltimore:  printed 
for  Rice  and  Co.,  Market-Street,  1791. 


288  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

the  1788  book,  with  the  hymns  of  "Part  11"  numbered  con- 
secutively, and  with  new  hymns  (258-285)  here  added  by 
the  bishops.  Their  preface  (already  quoted  in  part) 
announces  it  as  "a  choice  and  complete  Pocket  Hymn  Book," 
of  which  they  intend  "to  strike  off  an  impression  of  twenty 
or  thirty  thousand  copies,"  to  stop  "the  general  cry  of  our 
congregations  'that  they  cannot  procure  Hymn-Books.'  " 
"It  has  received  the  Approbation  of  the  Conferences,  and 
contains  many  valuable  Hymns  which  the  former  Editions 
did  not."  As  of  the  former  editions  so  of  this,  the  profits 
are  to  be  applied  to  charitable  uses.  And  all  respecting 
the  authority  of  bishops  and  Conference  are  urged  to 
purchase  no  hymn  books  but  those  signed  by  the  two 
bishops. 

There  is  evidently  something  interesting  here,  if  only 
we  knew  what  it  was.  Were  the  bishops  annoyed  by 
surreptitious  editions  published  for  private  gain  (and  yet 
the  congregations  "cannot  procure  Hymn-Books")?  And 
what  was  the  disparaged  "Pocket  Hymn-Book  lately  sent 
abroad  in  these  States"?  Was  it  a  reprint  of  Spence's,  but 
without  the  bishops'  appendix?  Or  had  Wesley  sent  over 
a  supply  of  his  Pocket  Hymn  Book  of  1785,  unwelcomed 
at  home? 

We  cannot  say.  A  link  has  dropped  out  of  the  early 
history  of  American  Methodist  Hymnody.  The  certain 
thing  is  that  the  bishops  made  up  their  minds  during 
Wesley's  life  that  the  book  of  Spence  which  Wesley  dis- 
liked so  much  was  better  adapted  to  American  conditions 
than  any  of  his  own,  and  took  steps  to  furnish  the  congrega- 
tions with  an  ample  supply.  They  may  have  argued  that 
a  hymn  book  for  the  pocket  did  not  interfere  with  the 
Sunday  Psalms  and  Hymns  any  more  than  the  permitted 
extempore  prayers  during  the  week  interfered  with  The 
Sunday  Service.  In  fact  the  extempore  prayers  and  the 
Pocket  Hymn  Book  superseded  The  Sunday  Service  and 
its  hymn  book.  The  Pocket  Hymn  Book,  and  not  the 
Psalms  and  Hymns  of  1784,  or  even  the  famous  Collection 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     289 

of  1780,  is  the  nucleus  of  the  Hymnody  of  American 
Methodism.  In  the  eighteenth  edition  of  1793  the  hymns 
are  increased  to  300;  and  these  constituted  the  authorized 
Hymnody  till  the  beginning  of  the  XlXth  century.  It  was 
prevailingly  but  not  exclusively  Wesleyan.  David  Creamer 
classified  its  hymns  as  223  by  Charles  and  15  by  John 
Wesley,  26  by  Watts ;  the  remainder  by  Hart,  Cowper, 
Medley  and  others.*"'^ 

Ezekiel  Cooper  became  book  steward  in  1800,  with 
authority  to  publish  approved  books.  The  Pocket  Hymn 
Book  had  never  been  copyrighted  and  was  being  reprinted 
by  outside  parties.  It  was  perhaps  the  suggestion  of  that 
thrifty  man  to  revise  the  book  and  secure  its  copyright. 
The  revision  appeared  as  The  Methodist  Pocket  Hymn 
Book,  revised  and  improved:  designed  as  a  constant  Com- 
panion for  the  pious  of  all  denominations.  Collected  from 
various  authors.  Philadelphia:  printed  by  Ezekiel  Cooper, 
No.  118  North  Fourth  Street,  near  the  Methodist  Church. 
1802.  Opportunity  was  taken  to  drop  a  few,  and  add  a  few 
other  hymns,  to  rearrange  the  contents,  and  to  smooth  some 
halting  lines  of  the  text.  The  real  motive  of  the  revision 
appears  in  the  notice  that  "the  copy-right  is  secured."  It 
contained  320  hymns.  To  meet  the  demand  of  a  growing 
Church  for  more  hymns,  Daniel  Hitt,  assistant  to  Cooper's 
successor,  and  Bishop  Asbury,*'^  laid  before  the  Conference 
of  1808,  the  manuscript  of  a  Supplement.  This  was 
accepted  and  appeared  as  A  Selection  of  Hymns  from 
various  authors,  designed  as  a  Supplement  to  the  Methodist 
Pocket  Hymn  Book,  compiled  under  the  direction  of  Bishop 
Asbury  and  published  by  order  of  the  General  Conference. 
First  edition.  New  York:  published  by  John  Wilson  and 
Daniel  Hitt,  for  the  Methodist  Connection  in  the  United 
States.  John  C.  Tot  ten,  printer,  1808.  It  was  published 
separately  for  those  who  had  the  earlier  book.     Bound  up 

°^See  A  new  History  of  Methodism,  vol.  ii,  p.  143. 
*"See  extracts  from  Asbury's  Journal  in  Carl  F.  Price,  The  Music 
and  Hymnody  of  the  Methodist  Hymnal,  N.  Y.  [1911],  p.  20. 


290  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

with  it,  the  whole  became  known  as  "The  Double  Hymn 
Book" ;  an  inconvenient  arrangement  that  perhaps  explains 
its  short  life. 

There  had  never  yet  been  an  American  edition  of  the 
Collection  of  1780,  which  Wesley  had  prepared  as  a  com- 
mon hymnal  for  Methodism.  In  18 14  a  cheap  reprint  ap- 
peared at  Baltimore  as  A  Collection  of  Hymns,  for  the  use 
of  the  People  called  Methodists;  in  miniature.  By  the  Rev. 
John  Wesley,  A.M.  First  American,  from  the  eighteenth 
London,  edition  (Baltimore:  the  Diamond  Press,  181 4). 
To  many  American  Methodists  this  brought  their  first 
knowledge,  and  to  most  their  first  sight,  of  what  the  Wes- 
leyan  Hymnody  was  in  its  fulness  and  purity;  and  in  the 
minds  of  the  curious  must  have  raised  many  questions  both 
as  to  the  omissions  of  their  own  book  and  its  garbled  texts. 

At  all  events  the  Book  Agents,  with  the  assistance  of 
the  Book  Committee,"^'^  prepared  and,  by  authority  of  the 
Conference  of  1820,  published  A  Collection  of  Hymns  for 
the  use  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  principally  from 
the  Collection  of  the  Rev.  John  Wesley,  M.A.,  late  Fellow 
of  Lincoln  College,  Oxford.  New  York:  published  by  N. 
Bangs  and  T.  Mason  for  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Abraham  Paul,  printer,  1821.  This  change  of  title  in  the 
authorized  hymn  book  was  well  adapted  to  create  an  im- 
pression that  the  Church  had  at  last  changed  the  basis  of 
its  Hymnody,  forsaking  Spence,  and  restoring  Wesley.  But 
the  preface  made  no  such  claim,  professing  nothing  more 
than  a  revision  of  "The  Double  Hymn  Book";  omitting 
some  [fifty]  of  its  hymns,  adding  a  few  from  Wesley's 
Collection,  and  restoring  some  injudiciously  tinkered  texts. 
To  facilitate  the  use  of  this  book,  and  to  provide  for  the 
first  time  something  like  an  authorized  body  of  tunes,  the 
Book  Concern  issued  The  Methodist  Harmonist  (New 
York,  1821 :  rev.  ed.,  by  order  of  Conference,  1833).  The 
hymn  book  itself  was  slightly  revised  in  1832,  and  a  sup- 

''^Dr.  Floy  in  The  Methodist  Quarterly  Review,  April,  1844,  P-  170. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     291 

plement   was   added   by   Nathan   Bangs   in    1836;   and   so 
C(Mitiniied  in  use  till  1849."'* 

3.     A  New  Type:   The  Camp  Meeting  Hymn  (1800) 

Having  followed  so  far  the  authorized  Methodist  Hym- 
nody,  we  have  now  to  consider  a  marked  development  of 
its  freer  side  in  connection  with  the  Great  Revival  of  1800. 
The  Revival  was  not  distinctively  a  Methodist  movement, 
but  began  in  Logan  County,  Kentucky,  under  the  preaching 
of  a  Presbyterian  Boanerges,  the  Rev.  James  McGready. 
The  unique  feature  of  the  Revival  was  the  camp  meeting. 
The  first  one  was  held  near  the  Caspar  River  Church  in 
July,  1800.  The  people  far  and  wide  had  been  notified  by 
Mr.  McGready  to  come  prepared  to  encamp  on  the  ground ; 
and  a  great  concourse  formed  a  regular  encampment  of 
tents  or  covered  wagons  in  the  form  of  a  hollow  square, 
with  a  preaching-stand  and  rows  of  logs  for  seats  in  the 
centre.^^  The  camp  meeting  idea  was  received  with  im- 
mense favor,  and  "spread  like  wild-fire"  through  Kentucky, 
into  the  Cumberland  settlements  of  what  is  now  Tennessee, 
into  the  Northwestern  Territory  and  through  the  Caro- 
linas.^^ 

The  Presbyterian  clergy  of  the  Kentucky  settlements 
participating  in  this  revival  were  not  more  than  five,^'  the 
general  body  standing  aloof.  The  assistance  of  the  Meth- 
odists was  thus  the  more  welcome;  and  once  admitted  as 
assistants  they  soon  became  leaders,  and  gained  the  pre- 
ponderating influence.  This  was  natural  enough  in  view  of 
their  emotional  enthusiasm  and  familiarity  with  revival 
methods.     But  in  the  judgment  of  a  Presbyterian  historian 

°Tor  a  critical  examination  of  the  whole  contents,  see  an  article 
[by  Dr.  J.  Floy]  in  The  Methodist  Quarterly  Review,  April,  1844, 
pp.  165-206.  All  of  its  hymns  are  annotated  in  D.  Creamer,  Methodist 
Hymnology,  New  York,   1848. 

^^Robert  Davidson,  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  State 
of  Kentucky,  New  York,  1847,  p.  134. 

'"Ibid.,  pp.  135,  136. 

'Ubid.,  p.  135. 


292  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

of  the  Revival  the  Methodist  predominance  was  gained 
largely  by  means  of  their  hymns  and  hearty  hymn- 
singing  :— 

"They  succeeded  in  introducing  their  own  stirring  hymns,  familiarly, 
though  incorrectly,  entitled  'Wesley's  Hymns' ;  and  as  books  were 
scarce,  the  few  that  were  attainable  were  cut  up,  and  the  leaves 
distributed,  so  that  all  in  turn  might  learn  them  by  heart.  .  .  .  This 
will  be  acknowledged  to  have  been  of  itself  a  potent  engine  to  give 
predominance  to  the  Methodists,  and  to  disseminate  their  peculiar 
sentiments."  "^ 

The  book  thus  referred  to  was  presumably  The  Pocket 
Hymn  Book,  of  which  the  "23rd  edition"  had  just  ap- 
peared,^^  and  the  hymns  those  long  familiar  in  Methodist 
use.  But  with  the  tumultuous  enthusiasm  that  soon  de- 
veloped, the  old  hymns  were  felt  to  be  too  sober  to  express 
the  overwrought  feelings  of  the  preacher  and  the  throng. 
Spontaneous  song  became  a  marked  characteristic  of  the 
camp  meetings.  Rough  and  irregular  couplets  or  stanzas 
were  concocted  out  of  Scripture  phrases  and  every-day 
speech,  with  liberal  interspersing  of  Hallelujahs  and  re- 
frains. Such  ejaculatory  hymns  were  frequently  started 
by  an  excited  auditor  during  the  preaching,  and  taken  up 
by  the  throng,  until  the  meeting  dissolved  into  a  "singing- 
ecstasy"  culminating  in  a  general  hand-shaking.  Some- 
times they  were  given  forth  by  a  preacher,  who  had  a  sense 
of  rhythm,  under  the  excitement  of  his  preaching  and  the 
agitation  of  his  audience.  Hymns  were  also  composed 
more  deliberately  out  of  meeting,  and  taught  to  the  people 
or  lined  out  from  the  pulpit. 

Many  of  these  rude  songs  perished  in  the  using,  some 
were  written  down,  passing  from  hand  to  hand.  The 
camp  meeting  song  books  which  began  to  appear  in  the 
first  decade  of  the  XlXth  century  doubtless  contain  such  of 
these  as  proved  effective  and  popular.  The  song  books 
represent  also  a  second  stage  of  Camp  Meeting  Hymnody, 
the  development  of  a  special  class  of  song  writers  making 

^^Ibid.,  p.  141. 

'Thiladelphia :  H.  Tuckness,  1800. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     293 

more  effort  to  conform  to  the  rules  of  rhetoric  and  versifi- 
cation and  with  more  claim  to  permanent  use. 

A  distinctive  type  is  thus  established,  the  Camp  Meeting 
Hymn.  It  is  individualistic,  and  deals  with  the  rescue  of 
a  sinner:  sometimes  in  direct  appeal  to  "sinners,"  "back- 
sliders," or  "mourners" ;  sometimes  by  reciting  the  terms 
of  salvation;  sometimes  as  a  narrative  of  personal  experi- 
ence for  his  warning  or  encouragement.  The  Camp  Meet- 
ing Hymn  is  not  churchly,  but  the  companionships  of  the 
rough  journey  to  the  camp  reappear  in  songs  of  a  common 
pilgrimage  to  Canaan,  the  meetings  and  partings  on  the 
ground  typify  the  reunion  of  believers  in  Heaven,  and  the 
military  suggestions  of  the  encampment  furnish  many 
themes  for  songs  of  a  militant  host,  brothers  in  arms  in  the 
battle  of  the  Lord.  In  Kentucky  the  martial  spirit  of  the 
Revolution  had  been  kept  alive  and  developed  by  Indian 
wars  as  nowhere  else  in  the  Union  i^**  and  the  military  ideal 
pervades  many  of  these  early  songs.  A  longing  for  the 
heavenly  rest  and  a  vivid  portrayal  of  the  pains  of  hell 
were  both  characteristic;  and  a  very  special  group  of  hymns 
was  designed  for  the  instruction  and  encouragement  of 
the  "seekers,"  who  at  the  close  of  the  sermon  came  forward 
to  the  stand  or  "altar,"  and  occupied  the  "anxious  bench." 

The  literary  form  of  the  Camp  Meeting  Hymn  is  that  of 
the  popular  ballad  or  song,  in  plainest  every-day  language 
and  of  careless  or  incapable  technique.  The  refrain  or 
chorus  is  perhaps  the  predominant  feature,  not  always 
connected  with  the  subject-matter  of  the  stanza,  but  rather 
ejaculatory.  In  some  instances  such  a  refrain  was  merely 
tacked  on  to  a  familiar  hymn  or  an  arrangement  of  one. 
In  its  purely  emotional  aim  the  Camp  Meeting  Hymn  is 
not  perhaps  singular,  but  the  crudity  of  its  methods  and 
effects  sometimes  makes  it  very  harrowing  to  refined  feel- 
ings and  seemingly  destructive  of  reverence. 

Of  the  tunes  to  which  the  Camp  Meeting  Hymns  were 

"C/.  B.  St.  James  Fry  in  The  Methodist  Quarterly  Review,  July, 
1859,  p.  408, 


294  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

sung  the  leaders  demanded  nothing  more  than  contagious- 
ness and  effectiveness.  Their  attitude  was  expressed  in  the 
query  attributed  to  Wesley, — "Why  should  the  devil  have 
all  the  good  tunes?"  and  was  embodied  in  a  favorite  hymn 
called  "Wesley's  music."  '^^  Their  resources  were  what 
might  be  expected  of  men  in  a  situation  almost  apart  from 
books :  words  were  adapted  to  the  popular  melodies  then 
current  and  to  remembered  songs,  or  to  tunes  that  had 
been  used  on  circuit;  and  simple  melodies  were  composed 
on  the  spot.  These  latter  were  not  written  down  in  the 
camps  or  printed  in  the  song  books,  but  through  all  the 
XlXth  century  the  "Social  Hymn  Books"  of  various 
churches  contained  tunes,  still  familiar,  whose  origin  was 
more  or  less  correctly  ascribed  to  the  "Western  Revival." 
It  is  likely  also  that  the  negro  "spirituals"  embody  many 
reminiscences  of  the  revival  melodies  of  the  South. 

The  camp  meeting  became  and  for  many  years  con- 
tinued to  be  the  distinctive  method  of  Methodist  evangel- 
ization and  church  growth  in  practically  all  parts  of  the 
country.'^^  Many  of  the  song  books  of  the  earlier  years 
have  doubtless  perished.  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  for 
the  use  of  Christians:  including  a  number  never  before 
published  was  first  printed  at  Philadelphia  in  1803  by  John 
W.  Scott  (a  Presbyterian),  and  reached  a  ninth  edition  by 
1812.  It  was  plainly  inspired  by  the  Revival,  and  con- 
tains many  songs  of  the  sort  sung  in  camps.  Wiatt's  im- 
partial Selection  of  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  (Phila- 
delphia: Solomon  Wiatt,  1809),  with  its  "Methodists' 
Song"  and  "Shouting  Song"  was  militantly  Methodist,  and 

"It  began:— 

"Enlisted  in  the  cause  of  sin, 
Why  should  a  good  be  evil? 
Music,  alas !  too  long  has  been, 
Press'd  to  obey  the  Devil." 

No.  cxxvi  in  a  collection  of  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  without  title- 
page,  but  bought  "the  25  of  Sept.,  1813." 

"C/.  Stevens,  op.  cit.,  vol.  iv,  pp.  238,  427,  432. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     295 

of  the  proselyting  type,  as  its  "The  Beauties  of  Predestina- 
tion" and  "Against  the  Calvinian  Doctrine"  sufficiently 
attest.  It  contains  however  but  one  hymn  marked  "For  a 
Camp  Meeting." 

Probably  the  Hymnody  of  the  Kentucky  Revival,  so  far 
as  preserved,  and  certainly  the  hymns  most  used  through 
immediately  following  years  in  Methodist  camp  meetings 
throughout  the  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  circuits,  appear 
in  Tlie  Pilgrim  Songster;  or  a  choice  Collection  of  Spiritual 
Songs:  with  many  songs  never  before  in  print.  By  Thomas 
S.  Hinde.  It  was  published  in  18 10  and  reached  a  third 
edition  in  1828  (at  Cincinnati),  and  appears  to  have  been 
printed  surreptitiously  at  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia.  Of 
its  120  hymns,  the  authorship  of  nearly  one  half  was  even 
then  unknown  to  the  compiler:  but  nearly  a  third  of  the 
whole  number  were  written  by  two  members  of  the  Western 
Conference,  John  A.  Granade  and  Caleb  Jarvis  Taylor.  ^^ 
These  never  found  their  way  into  the  authorized  books, 
but  were  widely  known  and  loved  through  the  Western 
settlements.'^^ 

The  Camp  Meeting  Hymn  appears  as  a  recognized  type 
as  early  as  181 1  and  as  far  East  as  Poughkeepsie  in  Hymns 
on  select  passages  of  Scripture:  with  others  usually  sung 
at  Camp-meetings,  &c.  Of  this  there  was  also  a  Chambers- 
burg  imprint  of  the  same  year.  And  very  soon  the  making 
of  song  books  for  use  in  camp  meetings  begins  to  assume 
the  proportions  of  what  looks  like  an  industry. 

John  J.  Harrod's  Social  and  Camp-Meeting  Songs  for 
the  pious''^  appeared  at  Baltimore  in  181 7,  was  a  favorite 
in  the  South,  and  reached  a  fourth  edition  in  1822.    Songs 

'Tor  the  book,  its  hymns  and  its  associations,  see  the  paper  by 
B.  St.  J.  Fry,  already  referred  to. 

"C/.  Stevens,  History  of  M.  E.  Church,  vol.  iv,  p.  116. 

"*"For  the  pious."  This  unpleasant  phrase  was  Spence's  (see  ante) 
and  had  just  figured  in  the  title  of  a  Philadelphia  book,  A  choice 
Collection  of  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs.  Designed  for  the  use  of 
the  pious  (Jonathan  Pounder,  1814).  The  book  was  not  revivalistic, 
and  to  it  the  Presbyterian,  E.  S.  Ely,  contributed. 


296  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

of  Zion.  Being  a  Collection  of  Hymns,  for  the  use  of 
Christians.  By  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  Jesus 
(Haverhill,  1818)  represents  the  New  Light  movement '^^ 
which  had  an  almost  simultaneous  origin  among  the  Meth- 
odists in  North  Carolina  under  James  O'Kelley,  the  Bap- 
tists of  New  England  under  Abner  Jones  and  Elias  Smith, 
and  the  Presbyterians  in  the  Kentucky  Revival  under 
Barton  W.  Stone. "^^  The  three  parties  had  united  in  1806 
as  "Christians,"  and  Elias  Smith  had  made  for  them  A  Col- 
lection of  Hymns,  for  the  use  of  Christians,  which  reached  a 
fourth  edition  at  Portland,  Maine,  in  181 1.  Both  books  are 
of  the  camp  meeting  type  and  on  the  camp  meeting  level, 
though  actually  used  in  field  meetings,  halls  and  churches, 
rather  than  camps. 

The  Camp-Meeting  Chorister  .  .  .  for  the  pious  of  all 
denominations  (Philadelphia:  J.  Clarke,  1827)  was  plainly 
a  publisher's  enterprise,  but  was  well  received,  and  after 
passing  through  three  printings  was  enlarged  in  1830. 
Immensely  popular  was  The  Zion  Songster  of  Peter  D. 
Myers,  printed  at  New  York  in  1829  and  reaching  a  ninety- 
fifth  edition  in  1854.  It  was  a  gathering  of  the  songs 
"generally  sung  at  camp  and  prayer  meetings  and  in 
revivals." 

The  fiery  anti-slavery  agitator.  Orange  Scott,  printed  at 
Brookfield,  1830,  A  new  and  improved  Camp  Meeting  Hymn 
Book.  It  was  intended  for  New  England  use,  and  "suits 
the  Compiler  better  than  any  he  has  ever  seen."  Also  for 
New  England  use  was  A  choice  Selection  of  Hymns  and 
Spiritual  Songs,  designed  to  aid  in  the  devotions  of  prayer, 
conference,  and  camp-meetings  (Windsor,  Vt.,  1836).  With 
these  we  may  group  a  still  later  New  England  book,  M.  L. 
Scudder's  Songs  of  Canaan,  which  in  the  second  edition  of 

"        "I  know  not  any  sect  nor  part, 

But  such  as  are  New-Lights  in  heart."     From  Hymn  7. 

"For  the  movement  itself  see  Stevens,  op.  cit.,  vol.  iii,  pp.  30  ff; 
The  Life,  conversion,  etc.,  of  Elias  Smith.  Written  by  himself,  vol.  i, 
Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  1816;  and  Davidson,  op.  cit.,  chap,  viii,  "The  New 
Light  Schism." 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     297 

1842  became  The  Wesleyan  Psalmist.  It  was  distinguished 
by  printing  the  melodies,  familiar  or  new. 

Harrod  had  claimed  inclusiveness  for  his  later  book, 
The  new  and  most  complete  Collection  of  camp,  social  and 
prayer  meeting  Hymns  (Baltimore,  1830),  with  276  hymns 
and  the  "usual  choruses."  But  no  less  than  478  were  in- 
cluded in  the  next  Baltimore  book,  Pious  Songs.  Social, 
prayer,  closet  and  camp  meeting  Hymns,  and  choruses. 
(2nd  ed.,  Baltimore,  1836).  The  Sweet  Singer  of  Israel 
(Pittsburgh,  1837),  edited  by  Alfred  Brunson  and  Charles 
Pitman,  was  probably  for  the  Ohio  market,  where  James 
Quinn  had  himself  "superintended  one  hundred  and  thirty 
or  forty  camp-meetings."  "^^ 

The  camp  meeting  was  not  exclusively  Methodist.  The 
title  of  "General  Camp  Meeting,"  applied  from  the  first 
in  Kentucky,  indicated  Presbyterian  and  Baptist  coopera- 
tion. But  camp  meetings  hardly  became  distinctive  of 
Baptist  revivalism,  and  among  Presbyterians  were  generally 
regarded  as  alien  and  undesirable.  The  Cumberland 
Presbytery  was  accused  of  irregularities  in  ordaining 
preachers  to  meet  the  demand  of  the  Kentucky  Revival 
and  was  dissolved  by  the  Synod  of  Kentucky.  Its 
"Revival  members"  organized  at  first  as  an  inde- 
dependent  "Council,"  then  as  a  new  Cumberland  Presby- 
tery, and  with  their  followers  established  "The  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  Church"  in  February,  1810.  The  new 
Church  may  be  said  to  have  been  born  at  a  camp  meet- 
ing, and  amid  such  surroundings  it  continued  to  feel  pre- 
eminently at  home  for  some  forty  years.  It  was  singular, 
perhaps  unique,  in  that  for  all  but  five  of  these  years  it  had 
no  authorized  Hymnody.'^^  Methodist,  Baptist  and  other 
hymn  books  were  in  its  pulpits,  and  from  them  the  hymns 
were  lined  out.  But  of  these  the  current  camp  meeting 
song   books   were   the    favorites,   and   the   Spiritual    Song 

"Stevens,  op.  cit.,  vol.  iv,  p.  349. 

"C/.  B.  W.  McDonnold,  History  of  The  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church,  4th  ed.,  Nashville,  1899,  p.  315. 


298  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

rather  than  the  Hymn  was  for  many  years  the  standard  of 
its  Praise. 

The  camp  meeting  was  originally  justified  by  the  scat- 
tered settlements  of  a  new  country  and  its  lack  of  meeting 
houses.  From  the  beginning  it  revealed  elements  of  danger, 
and  carried  the  seeds  of  inevitable  dissolution  in  the  intense 
excitement  under  which  it  was  carried  on  and  its  wide 
production  of  hysteria  and  other  nervous  complaints.^*' 
Among  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians  the  camp  meeting 
"died  a  lingering  death"  in' the  decade  from  1840  to  1850.^^ 
Among  Methodists  it  stayed  longer,  though  the  later  Meth- 
odist song  books  are  less  characteristically  "for  the  camp," 
and  less  addicted  to  the  Camp  Meeting  type  of  Hymn.  As 
the  camp  meeting  was  displaced  by  the  more  decorous 
protracted  services  of  the  modern  summer  settlement,  so 
the  Camp  Meeting  H[ymn  gave  way  to  the  modern  type  of 
Spiritual  Song  associated  with  the  names  of  Moody  and 
Sankey.  For  under  any  circumstances  the  love  of  "popular" 
song  abides.  The  same  streak  in  human  nature  that  de- 
lights in  the  strains  of  the  music  hall  demands  the  "spirit- 
ual song"  of  a  kindred  type.  And  possibly  an  element  that 
conscientiously  flees  the  associations  of  the  music  hall  is 
the  most  insistent  upon  a  compensatory  light  music  in  the 
Sunday  school  and  the  church. 

4.     Efforts  to  Reinstate  and  to  Modernize  the 
Wesleyan  Hymnody    (184 7- 1 905) 

We  return  to  the  authorized  Methodist  Hymnody  at  a 
time  of  discontent  with  the  continued  use  of  the  Collection 
of  1 82 1  and  its  Supplement,  and  of  agitation  for  a  more 
convenient  and  adequate  hymn  book.  In  the  midst  of 
which  the  Southern  conferences  separated  from  the  main 
body  on  the  graver  issue  of  slavery,  and  in  May,  1846,  held 

™The    "Jerks"    "became    epidemic    from    Michigan    to    Louisiana," 
Stevens,  vol.  iv,  p.  432. 
"'McDonnold,  pp.  370,  371. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     299 

the  first  General  Conference  of  "The  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South."  That  body  found  time,  even  in  the  stress 
of  reconstruction,  to  debate  the  usefulness  of  "particular 
meter  hymns"  before  deciding  to  appoint  a  commission  to 
prepare  a  revised  hymn  book  of  its  own.^^  It  appeared 
at  Nashville  in  1847  ^^  A  Collection  of  Hymns  for  public, 
social  and  domestic  worship,  containing  1047  hymns;  some 
600  of  them  by  the  Wesleys  and  150  by  Dr.  Watts.^^  Four 
years  later  its  principal  compiler,  Thomas  O.  Summers, 
also  a  hymn  writer,  put  forth  through  the  Book  Agency 
Songs  of  Zion:  a  Supplement  to  the  Hymn  Book  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  Its  503  hymns  are 
mainly  those  for  which  he  could  not  find  room  in  the 
authorized  book,  but  he  consented  to  admit  some  "doggerel 
Hymns"  in  hope  of  winning  over  those  persisting  in  intro- 
ducing camp  meeting  song  books.  The  Supplement  was 
evidently  intended  to  rank  with  the  "Social  Hymn  Books"  . 
of  the  North,  and  after  twenty-two  years'  use,  was  slightly 
enlarged   (1873). 

In  May,  1848,  the  Northern  Church  also  appointed  a 
committee  of  revision,  whose  book  appeared  as  Hymns  for 
the  use  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Revised 
edition  (New  York:  Lane  and  Scott,  1849).  The  revision 
was  largely  inspired  by  Dr.  James  Floy  and,  owing  to  his 
zeal  and  care,  it  gave  American  Methodism  the  fullest  and 
most  correct  presentation  of  the  Wesleyan  Poetry  it  has 
ever  had.  For  the  intensely  practical  mind  of  American 
Methodism  had  from  the  first  discriminated  in  its  use  of  the 

^^There  is  a  sufficient  account  of  its  proceedings  in  Carl  F.  Price, 
The  Music  and  Hymnody  of  The  Methodist  Hymnal,  New  York  and 
Cincinnati,  n.  d.  [191 1],  PP-  23,  24. 

'Tor  a  detailed  review,  see  "The  New  Hymn  Book"  in  The  Quar- 
terly Review  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South  for  January,  1848,  pp.  69-131. 
As  illustrating  the  state  of  hymnological  knowledge  of  the  time,  we 
note  that  of  its  "anonymous  hymns,"  the  reviewer  states  that  "Rock 
of  Ages"  has,  by  Richard  Watson  and  others  been  confidently  claimed 
for  C.  Wesley;  by  others,  however,  ...  as  confidently  claimed  for 
Toplady."  After  carefully  weighing  the  evidence  he  finds  it  "impos- 
sible to  determine  .  .  .  which  of  them  is  the  author"   (p.  128). 


300  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

Wesleys'  hymns,  and  had  taken  no  steps  to  make  the  body 
of  the  Wesleyan  Poetry  familiar  or  even  accessible  to  its 
people. 

The  Hymns  of  1849  was  to  remain  the  authorized  book 
for  thirty  years,  and  was  several  times  set  to  music.**  But 
it  had  hardly  appeared  before  complaints  began  that  it 
served  better  as  a  collection  of  devotional  poetry  than  as  a 
congregational  hymn  book.  The  church  hymn  book  became 
less  than  ever  a  bond  of  unity  and  means  of  uniformity  in 
worship,  and  served  many  dissatisfied  pastors  and  ambitious 
compilers  as  a  point  of  departure. 

Their  private  ventures  came  from  the  press  in  consider- 
able number.  Diflfering  in  purpose  and  quality  as  they  did, 
the  Social  Hymn  Book  type  may  be  said  to  have  modified 
and  then  succeeded  the  Camp  Meeting  Song  Book  type. 
Intended  for  prayer  and  conference  meeting,  the  Social 
Hymn  Book  sought  a  mean  between  "the  stern  and  elevated 
literary  taste"  of  the  church  hymn  books  and  "the  light  and 
irreverent  style  of  singing"  of  the  song  books,  "tending  to 
dissipate  rather  than  inspire  true  devotion."  "Every  Church 
needs  a  social  hymn  book,"  said  Stephen  Parks  in  the 
preface  (from  which  we  have  just  quoted)  of  his  Methodist 
Social  Hymn  Book  (New  York :  Carlton  and  Porter,  1856)  ; 
to  which  debatable  proposition  most  denominations  would 
at  that  time  have  assented.  McDonald  and  Hubbard's  The 
Wesleyan  Sacred  Harp  (Boston,  1855)  offered  pleasing 
melodies  for  social  worship,  and  made  large  use  of  the 
authorized  Hymns.     The  Chorus  of  A.  S.  Jenks  and  D. 

'*Hymns  for  the  use  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  With 
tunes  for  congregational  zvorship.  [ed.  by  Sylvester  Main  and  William 
C.  Brown.]     New  York:  Carlton  and  Porter  [1857]- 

The  Heart  and  Voice;  .  .  .  Hymn  and  Tune  Book,  designed  for 
congregational  singing  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  for 
congregations  generally.  [Ed.  by  A.  S.  Jenks.]  Philadelphia:  Perkin- 
pine  and  Higgins  [1865]. 

New  Hymn  and  Tune  Book:  an  offering  of  praise  for  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Edited  by  Philip  Phillips.  N.  Y. :  Carlton  and 
Lanahan  [1866]. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     301 

Gilkey  (Philadelphia:  4th  ed.,  1858)  aimed  to  perpetuate 
ill  the  class  room  and  prayer  meeting  the  most  illiterate 
and  vulgar  type  of  camp  meeting  chorus  and  song.  H. 
Mattison's  Sacred  Melodies  for  social  worship  (New  York, 
1859)  applied  the  same  aim  to  the  better  class  of  songs, 
and  is  still  interesting  for  its  hitherto  unprinted  camp  meet- 
ing and  popular  melodies,  "written  out  from  the  lips  of 
those  who  knew  them,"  and  as  actually  sung. 

The  active  career  of  Philip  Phillips,  "the  Singing  Pil- 
grim," lay  largely  within  the  period  of  thirty  years  now 
under  review.  His  songs  ministered  to  and  increased  the 
appetite  for  popular  religious  song,  and  his  very  numerous 
publications  serve  to  mark  the  transition  from  the  Social 
Hymn  Book  type  to  the  modern  "Gospel  Hymns"  type 
arising  with  the  development  of  an  order  of  singing  evan- 
gelists. The  new  books  were  introduced  into  Methodist 
gatherings  and  Sunday  schools  and  then  boldly  into  the 
church  services.  In  many  quarters  such  books  as  Devotional 
Melodies,  The  Zion  Songster,  Winnowed  Hymns,  Hallowed 
Songs,  and  Chautauqua  Carols  rivalled  or  even  displaced 
the  authorized  hymn  book.  In  1879,  the  Methodist  Quar- 
terly declared : — 

"Lyrically,  or  hymnically,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  de- 
moralized to  an  extent  that  would  call  down  the  heartiest  denuncia- 
tions of  John  Wesley,  and  of  St.  Paul  too,  could  they  enter  upon  a 
fresh  tour  of  episcopal  supervision.  Denominational  purity,  uni- 
formity, efficiency,  and  progress,  all  unite  in  imperative  demand  for  a 
revised  Hymnal."  " 

The  reviewer  was  pleading  for  a  revision  already  accom- 
plished and  awaiting  approval.  It  had  been  pressed  upon  a 
reluctant  General  Conference  (vainly  in  1872,  successfully 
in  1876)  by  those  of  the  leaders  who  felt  that  the  authorized 
Hymnody  was  suffering  because  it  had  been  allowed  to 
fall  behind  the  times.     A  great  body  of  modern  hymns 

*°Dr.  R.  Wheatley,  "The  revised  Methodist  Hymnal,"  in  The  Meth- 
odist Quarterly  Review,  July,  1879,  p.  525.  The  above  list  of  fugitive 
song  books,  which  might  be  much  enlarged,  is  confined  to  those 
mentioned  by  the  reviewer  as  then  in  especial  vogue. 


302  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

had  grown  up,  even  a  new  (Anglican)  school  of  church 
music,  both  occupying  new  ground.  The  Baptists,  Congre- 
gationalists,  Presbyterians  and  Episcopalians,  had  already 
taken  possession  of  the  new  ground,  and  it  behooved  the 
Methodists  to  follow,  even  to  the  casting  aside  of  so  much 
of  their  familiar  and  characteristic  Hymnody  as  had  now 
lost  its  appeal.^'''  Such  counsels  prevailing  in  1876,  the 
project  was  put  in  the  hands  of  a  representative  committee 
of  fifteen,  who  worked  in  geographical  sections,  and  finally 
presented  to  the  Board  of  Bishops  a  new  book  with  tunes, 
appearing  as  Hymnal  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
(New  York  and  Cincinnati,  1878). 

The  problem  of  adding  a  new  Hymnody  to  an  old  already 
too  large  was  great.  381  numbers  of  the  old  book  were 
dropped;  but  even  so  767  remained,  to  which  were  added 
371  new  hymns,  making  a  total  of  1138.^^  The  size  of 
the  new  book  followed  the  bad  fashion  of  the  time;^^  but 
the  collection  was  bound  to  suffer  for  it,  since  so  great  a 
bulk  transcends  the  limited  sphere  of  the  affections  and 
appalls  the  memory.  Much  of  this  material  served  no  good 
end.  The  musical  settings  under  the  authority  of  the  com- 
mittee were  of  very  mixed  character  and  not  always  in  the 
best  interests  of  Congregational  Song.  But  on  the  whole 
the  new  Hymnal  was  fairly  abreast  with  the  denominational 
hymnals  of  the  time  and  was  like  them  in  being  less  dis- 
tinctively denominational  than  of  old  and  more  catholic- 
hearted.^^ 

In  the  Church  at  the  South,  the  desire  for  a  small  hymn 
book  for  poorer  churches  and  social  meetings  was  met  by 
the  publication  of  The  nezv  Hymn  Book   (Nashville;  So. 

^"C/.  Report  of  Committee  on  Revision  to  the  Bishops,  New  York, 
1878,  pp.  6,  8,  14. 

"Report,  p.  22. 

^Songs  for  the  Sanctuary  had  1342  hymns. 

*^The  contents  of  the  Hymnal  may  be  studied  in  the  carefully 
annotated  edition  of  Dr.  Charles  S.  Nutter,  Hymn  Studies,  New  York, 
1884;  2nd  ed.  1888;  3rd  ed.,  1897.  Its  appended  "History  of  official 
hymn  books"  omits  the  first. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     303 

Meth.  Piibl.  House,  1881),  prepared  under  authority  of  the 
Conference  of  1878.  It  was  Httle  more  than  selections 
from  the  larger  hymn  book,  with  the  addition  of  some 
"spiritual  songs."  The  new  book  was  inadequate  for  all 
church  occasions,  but  the  feeling  still  remained  that  the 
Church  book  was  too  large.  It  should  be  cleared  of  useless 
material  to  an  extent  permitting  selections  from  the  later 
Hymnody.  The  Conference  of  1886  authorized  a  new 
hymnal  upon  these  lines;  the  whole  number  of  hymns  not 
to  exceed  800.  The  book  appeared  as  Hymn  Book  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South  (Nashville,  1889) ;  and 
also  set  to  music  as  Hymn  and  Tune  Book.  The  preface  is 
perhaps  more  Wesleyan  than  the  book  as  a  whole;  the 
hymns  ascribed  to  Charles  Wesley  numbering  294  out  of  a 
total  of  918.  The  collection,  if  more  than  ample,  was  a 
good  one  for  its  time  and  constituency.^^ 

We  have  now  come  to  a  period  of  change  so  rapid  that 
by  the  beginning  of  the  XXth  century  even  so  recently 
made  hymn  books  as  those  of  the  Methodists  began  to 
wear  an  old-fashioned  look.  It  was  no  doubt  a  conscious- 
ness of  change  in  feeling  and  in  the  emphasis  of  Methodist 
faith,  together  with  a  new  desire  to  magnify  the  things  held 
in  common,  that  stirred  the  Methodists  in  America  as  in 
England  to  revise  their  Hymnody. 

Numerous  memorials  had  come  to  the  Northern  Con- 
ference of  1900,  setting  forth  that  by  reason  of  its  size 
the  Hymnal  of  1878  was  not  used  in  many  churches,  in 
which  song  books,  "often  pernicious,"  took  its  place.  These 
furnished  sufficient  ground  for  authorizing  the  preparation 
of  a  new  hymnal,  "of  about  600  hymns."  Spurred  on  by 
its  Committee  on  Federation,  the  same  Conference  invited 
the  other  branches  of  Methodism  to  join  in  preparing  a 
common  catechism,  order  of  worship,  and  hymn  book. 
Under  this  conflicting  legislation  the  preparation  of  a  de- 
nominational hymnal  had  proceeded  to  the  point  of  being 

'"An  annotated  edition  by  Prof.  Wilbur  F.  Tillett,  appeared  at  Nash- 
ville in  1889  as  Our  Hymns  and  their  authors. 


304  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

announced  for  publication  in  1902  when  it  was  suspended 
by  the  bishops  in  the  interest  of  the  common  hymnal  project. 

In  the  South  the  desire  for  "a  pan-Methodistic  Hymnal" 
had  been  voiced  (thus  euphoniously)  at  the  Conference  of 
1886.^^  That  of  1902  authorized  the  bishops  to  join  with 
those  of  the  North  in  preparing  such  a  book.  The  result 
of  the  labors  of  the  joint  commission  was  published  through 
the  Book  Agents,  North  and  South,  in  1905  as  The  Meth- 
odist Hymnal.  Official  Hymnal  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  It 
had  717  Hymns  against  1 138  in  the  hymnal  of  the  Northern 
and  918  in  that  of  the  Southern  Church.  More  significantly 
it  had  129  of  Charles  Wesley  as  against  563  in  1849,  3^0 
in  1878,  and  294  in  1889. 

The  Hymnal  appeared  in  an  unprecedented  edition  of 
576,000  copies,^^  and  received  an  amount  of  attention  from 
the  press  also  unprecedented.  From  the  outside  it  was 
obvious  that  in  its  hymnological  and  musical  standard  the 
new  book  marked  a  great  advance  over  its  predecessors. 
The  only  Methodist  hymnal  with  which  it  could  be  com- 
pared was  the  English  Methodist  Hymn  Book  of  1904. 
The  two  were  not  unlike  in  spirit  and  method,  but  the 
American  was  smaller  by  264  hymns  and  carried  on  the 
American  tradition  of  a  less  full  representation  of  the 
Wesleyan  Hymns :  its  musical  standard  was  more  "popular" 
and  less  "Anglican"  than  the  English. 

From  within  the  Hymnal  evoked  much  appreciation,  and 
also  much  criticism,  which,  however  sincerely  deprecating 
the  modernization  of  Methodist  Hymnody,  was  often  ill- 
informed.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  characterization 
of  the  book  by  a  recent  historian  of  American  Methodism 

*'  "Report  of  the  Committee  on  Hymn  Book." 

"'Carl  F.  Price,  The  Music  and  Hymnody  of  the  Methodist  Hymnal, 
N.  Y.  [1911],  p.  55.  This  contains  a  full  account  of  the  preparation 
of  the  Hymnal  and  description  of  its  contents.  There  is  also  an 
annotated  edition  of  the  Hymnal:  The  Hymns  and  Hymn  writers  of 
the  Church,  ed.  by  Dr.  Charles  S.  Nutter' and  Wm.  F.  Tillett,  N.  Y. 
and  Nashville,  191 1. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     305 

as  "a  scanty  product,  good  as  far  as  it  goes,"  whose  lack  of 
bulk  "will  make  the  suppression  of  the  1907  [sic]  book  a 
necessity  in  a  short  time,"  should  be  incorporated  as  though 
a  part  of  A  new  History  of  Methodism/'^  rather  than  a 
dissenting  opinion.  If  the  history  of  American  Methodist 
Song  makes  anything  clear,  it  is  the  unwisdom  of  author- 
izing a  Hymnody  too  large  for  convenience  or  familiarity, 
and  so  justifying  the  intrusion  of  unauthorized  song  books 
that  are  at  least  handy.  The  moderate  proportions  of  the 
Hymnal  indicate  rather  one  of  several  directions  in  which 
its  compilers  have  sought  to  bring  Methodist  Song  abreast 
with  the  best  contemporary  standards. 


IX 

DIVERGING  CURRENTS   OF   AMERICAN 
METHODIST   HYMNODY 

American  Methodism  has  suffered  many  schisms,  occa- 
sioned by  problems  of  race  and  slavery  or  by  revolt  from 
what  was  regarded  as  tyrannical  in  Methodist  Episcopacy. 
The  hymn  books  of  these  dissenting  bodies  were  declara- 
tions of  independence  rather  than  the  embodiment  of  sec- 
tarian doctrine  or  usages ;  and  it  is  the  measure  and  manner 
of  this  independent  spirit  as  applied  to  the  Hymnody  that 
gives  these  hymn  books  such  interest  as  they  have. 

(i)  The  Reformed  Methodist  Church  began  with 
the  secession  of  a  few  farmers  and  mechanics  in  two  Ver- 
mont towns,  and  in  18 14  adopted  congregationalist  govern- 
ment.^^ The  Reformed  Methodist  Pocket  Hymn  Book 
soon  appeared,  and  a  revised  edition  in  1828  at  Taunton, 
excluding  some  hymns  "thought  to  be  improper."  It  had 
a  first  book  of  hymns  from  the  current  Methodist  Episcopal 
Collection,  a  second  from  Watts,  and  27  "favourite  pieces." 

'^London,  1909,  vol.  ii,  pp.  145,  146. 

"■•Wesley  Bailey  in  Rupp,  History  of  Religious  Denominations  in 
U.  S..  Philadelphia,  1844,  pp.  466  ff. 


3o6  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

The  Watts  section  implies  deference  to  proselytes  from 
Congregationalism.  The  reference  of  each  hymn  to  its 
page  in  the  Collection  or  its  number  in  "Watts"  shows  that 
many  (no  doubt  from  poverty)  brought  to  the  Reformers' 
services  the  books  to  which  they  had  been  accustomed. 

(2)  The  Methodist  Society  was  a  secession  in  1820 
from  the  John  Street  Church  in  New  York  after  disputes 
concerning  administration.^^  William  M.  Stilwell,  their 
first  pastor,  issued  A  Selection  of  Hymns  for  worship  (New 
York,  1821),  and  the  temporary  growth  of  the  movement 
for  Hberty  called  for  a  second  edition  in  1825.  It  was  a 
free  selection  of  426  hymns,  classified  in  Wesley's  fashion. 

(3)  The  African  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
printed  its  own  hymn  book  of  314  hymns  and  spiritual 
songs  at  Philadelphia  in  1818;  claimed  as  "the  first  Book 
of  Song  published  by  the  Children  of  Oppression,  the  very 
first  to  give  expression  in  their  own  selected  language,  of 
the  Christian  hope  of  the  race."  ^^  George  Hogarth,  the 
Book  Steward,  made  much  trouble  by  copyrighting  a  new 
edition  of  1836  as  his  personal  property:  but  the  Church 
regained  control  and  issued  reprints  up  to  1872. 

Since  1868  the  book  had  been  in  the  hands  of  Bishop 
H.  M.  Turner  for  revision,  and  in  1873  the  Publication 
Department  issued  at  Philadelphia  The  Hymn  Book  of  the 
African  Methodist  Episcopal  Church;  being  a  Collection  of 
Hymns,  Sacred  Songs  and  Chants,  designed  to  supersede 
all  others  hitherto  w,ade  use  of  in  that  Church.  Selected 
from  various  authors.  It  was  a  dumpy  and  independent 
little  book.  Some  Methodist  bodies  had  been  weakening 
their  addiction  to  the  Wesleyan  Hymnody,  aiming  to  be- 
come eclectic.  Bishop  Turner  reversed  the  process,  revert- 
ing to  that  Hymnody  so  largely  that  his  book  "may  be 
regarded  as  strictly  a  Wesleyan  hymn  book."  In  other 
Methodist  bodies  the  authorities  were  aiming  to  suppress 
the  camp  meeting  songs.      Bishop  Turner   on  the  other 

"^W.  M.  Stilwell  in  Rupp,  op.  cit.,  p.  424. 
"^Preface:  ed.  of  1898,  p.  xi. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     307 

hand  was  confronted  with  revival  outbursts  of  "negro 
spirituals,"  which  he  thought  "devoid  of  both  sense  and 
reason"  f  and  to  drive  them  out  reintroduced  a  large  num- 
ber of  the  "precious  old  'Zion  songs,"  and  some  of  the  new 
"Gospel  Hymns."  This  was  the  authorized  hymn  book  from 
1873  to  1892,  and  in  those  years  of  the  Church's  upgrowth 
that  began  after  the  civil  war  its  sale  was  very  large.  "The 
old  hymns  gave  way  to  the  new,  and  the  children  of  freedom 
sang  a  new  song  from  their  own  Church  Book." 

Under  directions  of  the  Conference  of  1888  both  to 
revise  this  and  to  prepare  a  new  (musical)  hymnal  "separate 
and  apart  from  our  Church  hymn  book,"  there  appeared 
first  Hymnal  adapted  to  the  doctrines  and  usages  of  the 
African  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (Philadelphia,  1893) 
mainly  an  abridgment  of  the  1873  book,  but  with  some 
originals  by  bishops  and  ministers;  and  later  The  African 
Methodist  Hymn  and  Tune  Book  (Philadelphia,  1898), 
with  an  increase  of  some  200  hymns  and  a  musical  standard 
suggesting  that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Hymnal  of 
1878.  The  book  was  prepared  under  difficulties,  and  its 
publication  was  hailed  in  a  letter  from  the  Bishops  as  "the 
consummation  so  devoutly  wished  for  and  prayed  for  by 
our  fathers— a  Hymn  and  Tune  Book  of  our  own  to  be 
used  by  our  people." 

The  African  Methodist  Episcopal  Zion  Church, 
through  most  of  its  long  career,  has  had  to  content 
itself  with  the  use  of  current  ^lethodist  Episcopal  hymn 
books.  In  1888  it  adopted  Philip  Phillips'  antiquated  setting 
of  the  Hymns  of  1849-  originally  appearing  in  1866,^^  and 
reprinted  it  as  New  Hymn  and  Tunc  Book:  an  offering  of 
Praise  for  the  use  of  the  African  M.  E.  Zion  Church  of 
America.  Only  recently  has  the  denomination  attained  the 
satisfaction  of  having  a  hymn  book  of  its  own. 

(4)    The  Methodist  Protestant  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  1830  by  the  reformers  who  had  long  contended  for 

'■"His  preface,  June  2,  1873. 
"'See  ante,  note  84. 


3o8  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

the  rights  of  the  laity.  Among  them  were  John  J.  Harrod 
of  Baltimore,  whom  we  have  met  with  as  an  industrious 
compiler  of  song  books,  and  Thomas  H.  Stockton,  a  con- 
tributor of  verses  to  the  periodicals  who  had  the  editorial 
instinct.  Some  use  was  made  of  Harrod's  books,  and 
Stockton  became  editor  of  the  Hymn  Book  of  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church.  Compiled  by  authority  of  the  General 
Conference  (Baltimore,  1837:  2nd  ed.,  1838;  4th,  1842). 
It  "was  the  first  Methodist  Hymn  Book  to  give  the  names 
of  authors,"  "^  and  its  829  hymns  represent  a  wide  survey 
of  the  field.  It  has  also  been  characterized  as  "the  best 
Methodist  hymn  book  which  had  appeared  up  to  that 
time."  i«« 

After  twenty-two  years  appeared  the  Hymn  Book  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church.  Compiled  by  authority  of 
the  General  Conference  of  18^8  (Baltimore,  1859).  More 
than  half  of  it  was  from  the  earlier  book,  and  73  spiritual 
songs  were  appended,  to  obviate  recourse  to  revival  song 
books.  An  unusual  step  was  calling  upon  David  Creamer 
as  a  hymnologist  "to  verify  the  hymns."  ^^'^ 

In  the  meantime  the  Northern  and  Western  conferences 
had  gone  off  on  the  slavery  issue,  and  regarded  the  new 
Southern  book  as  tainted.  A  scheme  for  joining  with  the 
Wesleyan  Methodists  in  preparing  a  common  hymnal  tar- 
ried, and,  in  the  pressing  need  of  supplying  the  churches 
with  something,  a  hymn  book  for  Methodist  Protestants 
alone  was  put  together  and  hurriedly  and  imperfectly  printed 
in  1860.^"^     Seven  years  later  these  conferences  organized 

'"See  note  in  T.  H.  Stockton,  Poems  (Phila.,  1862),  p.  305.  The 
opening  and  two  other  hymns  in  the  Hymn  Book  were  his :  for  others, 
see  Poems.  Stockton  was  a  prominent  figure,  but  his  hymns  are  for- 
gotten. His  "Stand  up  for  Jesus !"  appeared  in  a  volume  so  named 
(Phila.,  1858),  and  was  several  times  set  to  music,  but  yielded  to  Geo. 
Duffield's  hymn  drawn  from  the  same  incident,  and  with  a  similar 
opening. 

^""J.  Alfred  Faulkner  in  A  new  History  of  Methodism,  vol.  ii,  p.  146. 

"Treface. 

"Tor  the  circumstances,  see  A.  H.  Bassett,  A  concise  History  of 
the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  Pittsburgh,  1877,  pp.  185,   189-191. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     309 

as  "The  Methodist  Church."  For  it  there  appeared  The 
Voice  of  Praise:  a  Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  the 
Methodist  Church  (Pittsburgh,  1872).  It  was  largely  the 
compilation  of  Alexander  Clark, ^"'^  and  is  notable  for  the 
fresh  sources  from  which  he  drew,  including  current  peri- 
odicals and  manuscripts.^^'* 

The  Methodist  Church  reunited  with  the  Methodist  Prot- 
estant in  1877;  the  official  hymn  books  of  each  body  being 
approved  for  further  use.^"^  But  in  view  of  a  strong  senti- 
ment for  a  single  book  with  tunes^*''^  it  was  ultimately 
decided  to  purchase  the  copyright  and  plates  of  a  hymnal 
compiled  by  William  McDonald  and  L.  F.  Snow  under  the 
supervision  of  Eben  Tourjee.  It  had  been  published  in 
1874  as  The  Tribute  of  Praise,  and  had  already  finished  its 
course  as  an  independent  venture.  With  some  insertions, 
it  appeared  in  1882  as  The  Tribute  of  Praise  and  Methodist 
Protestant  Hymn  Book.  Edited  by  Dr.  Eben  Tourjee.  To 
give  it  a  denominational  flavor  original  hymns  contributed 
to  the  earlier  books  were  gathered  up  and  printed  in  a 
supplement  to  this.^^"  When  The  Tribute  of  Praise  had 
been  made  to  serve  for  nineteen  years,  it  was  replaced  by 
The  Methodist  Protestant  Church  Hymnal  (Meth.  Prot. 
Publ.  Board,  1901),  which  attained  a  circulation  of  50,000 
copies  within  a  year.  This  comely  and  serviceable  book 
was  patterned  closely  upon  .the  new  type  of  hymnals  that 
had  appeared  in  the  preceding  decade ;  from  which  ( rather 
than  the  sources)  the  bulk  of  its  contents  was  transferred. 
From  them  it  differed  in  a  somewhat  larger  representation 
of  Charles  Wesley  (69  out  of  531  hymns)  on  the  one  hand 

^"^Bassett,  p.  222. 

"*It  included  Geo.  H.  Boker's  battle-lyric,  "God,  to  Thee  we  humbly 
bow." 

""Bassett,  p.  257.  '"Preface  of   1882. 

^"'Thomas  H.  Stockton  (5),  Alexander  Clark  (4),  William  Rine- 
hart  (i),  L.  J.  Cox  (i),  S.  W.  Widney  (2),  J.  Varden  (i),  A.  H. 
Bassett  (1),  A.  E.  Dennis  (2),  J.  H.  Robinson  (i),  and  D.  Trueman 
(i).  These  are  the  hymn  writers  of  Methodist  Protestantism.  Only 
five  of  these  hymns  were  retained  in  1901. 


3IO  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

and  of  spiritual  songs  on  the  other.  It  was  a  great  contrast 
to  anything  that  had  preceded  it  in  American  Methodism, 
anticipating  The  Methodist  Hymnal  by  four  years. 

(5)  The  Wesleyan  Methodist  Connection  was 
founded  in  1843  during  the  slavery  agitation.  The  seceders, 
from  Methodist  Episcopal  and  Methodist  Protestant 
Churches,  brought  with  them  their  hymn  books,  and  these 
became  the  first  hymn  books  of  the  Connection. ^^^  In  1883 
an  edition  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Hymnal  of  1878 
was  put  forth  as  The  Wesleyan  Hymnal  with  tunes.  Even 
the  Sacred  Hymns  and  Tunes  designed  to  he  used  by  the 
Wesleyan  Methodist  Connection  {or  Church)  in  America 
(Syracuse,  1895)  ^^'^^  little  more  than  an  abridgment  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  book,  with  the  addition  of  some 
spiritual  songs. 

The  Free  Methodists  cooperated  with  the  Wesley- 
ans  in  preparing  a  joint-book,  appearing  in  19 10  as  The 
Wesleyan  Methodist  (and  also  The  Free  Methodist) 
Hymnal.  More  than  200  of  its  730  hymns  are  Charles 
Wesley's,  and  Watts  has  54,  but  there  are  many  hymns  and 
songs  of  a  lower  grade;  and  indeed  the  words,  run  in 
between  the  staves  of  the  music,  seem  of  minor  consequence. 
Lowell  Mason,  Thoro  Harris,  I.  B.  Woodbury  and  W.  B. 
Bradbury  are  the  largest  contributors  of  tunes.  Many 
others  are  designated  as  "with  chorus,"  and  secular  melo- 
dies are  utilized,  such  as  "Maryland,  my  Maryland," 
"Bonnie  Doon"  and  "Home,  Sweet  Home."  The  standard 
of  Church  Praise  thus  indicated,  whatever  may  be  thought 
of  it,  was  no  doubt  deliberately  chosen. 

(6)  A  Review  of  American  Methodist  Hymnody. 
We  ha^'e  now  reviewed  the  whole  course  of  American 
Methodist  Hymnody.  Its  source  was  naturally  Wesleyan, 
but  it  is  by  no  means  a  mere  extension  of  the  Wesleyan 
Hymnody  over  new  territory.  At  the  first  American  Meth- 
odism refused  to  take  its  hymn  book  from  Wesley's  hand, 
and  was  never  solicitous  for  the  integrity  or  purity  of  that 

"Treface  of  1910. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     311 

Hymnody.  The  Church  authorities  sought  at  most  to 
select  from  its  abundance  and  to  maintain  its  level;  while 
the  revival  zeal  of  the  people  persistently  overflowed  its 
banks  and  fairly  flooded  the  lowlands  of  Methodism  with  a 
revivalistic  Hymnody. 

The  Wesleyan  Hymn  was  thus  the  inheritance :  the  Camp 
Meeting  Hymn  the  most  distinctive  feature  of  American 
Methodist  Hymnody,  both  as  to  its  own  practice  and  as  to 
its  influence  on  other  Churches.  In  one  sense  a  develop- 
ment of  the  Evangelistic  Hymn  of  the  Wesleys,  the  Camp 
Meeting  Hymn  was  at  best  a  deterioration  and  at  worst 
a  parody.  Camp  Meeting  Hymnody  separates  itself  from 
Wesleyan  Hymnody  just  as  in  England  "Camp  Meeting 
Methodists"  established  a  "Primitive  Methodist  Church" 
outside  of  the  Wesleyan. 

The  illiteracy  and  emotionalism  of  the  Camp  Meeting 
Hymn  gradually  yielded  to  changing  conditions,  the  spread 
of  education,  and  the  uplift  of  the  Methodist  organization 
itself,  which  has  never  lost  sight  of  the  Wesleyan  traditions. 
But  whether  the  great  body  of  the  Church  will  accept  the 
new  Hymnody,  and  accepting  it  make  it  a  vehicle  not  only 
of  common  praise  but  of  the  old  revival  spirit,  remains  to 
be  determined.  For  the  new  Hymnody  is  not  so  much  an 
expression  of  Methodist  individuality  as  it  is  an  effort  to 
come  abreast  of  the  other  Churches  in  catholicity. 

The  contribution  of  American  Methodists  to  the  store  of 
English  hymns  has  been  prolific  on  the  revival  side,  but 
rather  scant  in  the  sphere  of  church  Hymnody.  Two  or 
three  of  the  camp  meeting  song  writers  have  been  named : 
the  great  majority  remains  unknown.  Of  the  contributors 
to  mid-century  hymn  books,  beside  the  Methodist  Protestant 
writers  referred  to,  Thomas  A.  Summers  is  remembered 
for  two  children's  hymns,  and  one  by  Robert  A.  West  in 
the  Hymns  of  1849  is  still  used.  To  the  Social  Hymn  Book 
era  belong  William  Hunter  ("Joyfully,  joyfully  onward  I 
move"),  and  William  McDonald  ("I  am  coming  to  the 
cross").     Mary  A.  Lathbury's  two  favorite  hymns  were 


312  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

written  for  Chautauqua  services.  Mrs.  Van  Alstyne 
("Fanny  Crosby")  is  the  most  voluminous  and  probably 
most  popular  of  the  recent  "Gospel  Hymns"  school.  Besides 
these,  in  the  new  Methodist  Hymnal  Benjamin  Copeland, 
Emily  H.  Miller  and  Frank  M.  North^"^  have  two  hymns 
each,  and  nine  other  American  Methodist  writers  are  repre- 
sented by  one.^^^ 

Appendix.  (7)  In  the  group  of  Methodist  Churches  is 
sometimes  included  The  United  Brethren  in  Christ, 
owing  to  its  Arminian  creed  and  its  Methodist  affiliations 
dating  from  the  associations  of  Otterbein  and  Ashbury. 
It  is  however  an  independent  body,  less  generally  known 
than  some  others,  probably  because  its  work  was  confined 
for  so  long  among  German-speaking  people.^^^  There  were 
no  English  hymn  books  till  James  T.  Stewart  of  Ohio  pub- 
lished, with  the  approval  of  the  General  Conference,  The 
Sacrifice  of  the  Heart;  or,  a  choice  Selection  of  Hymns 
from  the  most  approved  authors,  for  the  use  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ  (Cincinnati:  Emporium  office,  1826); 
followed  by  a  collection  of  332  hymns  made  by  Jacob 
Antrim,  an  Ohio  revivaHst  (Dayton,  O.,  1829). ^^^  A  third 
English  hymn  book,  prepared  at  the  instance  of  the  Virginia 
Conference  by  William  R.  Rhinehart  and  Jacob  Erb,  ap- 
peared in  1833  as  A  Collection  of  Hymns,  for  the  use  of  the 
United  Brethren  in  Christ,  taken  from  the  most  approved 
authors,  and  adapted  to  public  and  private  worship,  and  in 
1837  was  taken  over  by  the  General  Conference  and  reissued 
from  its  office  at  Circleville.  This  was  the  church  hymn 
book  till  1849.     It  follows  the  arrangement  rather  than  the 

"*The  timely  "Where  cross  the  crowded  ways  of  life"  is  his. 

""Lewis  R.  Amis,  David  H.  Ela,  Caroline  L.  Rice,  Lovie  R.  Stratton, 
Caleb  T.  Winchester,  William  F.  Warren,  Samuel  K.  Cox,  Elijah  E. 
Hoss,  and  John  H.  Stockton. 

"'C/.  H.  G.  Spayth,  History  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren 
in  Christ,  Circleville,  O.,  1851,  p.  157,  and  the  preface  of  Hanby's 
continuation    (in  the  same  vol.,  p.  204). 

"*See  W.  A.  Shuey,  Manual  of  U.  B.  Publ.  House,  Dayton,  1892, 
p.  7. 


HYMNODY  OF  METHODIST  REVIVAL     313 

contents  of  John  Wesley's  Collection  of    1780,   including 
much  of  lower  literary  grade. 

The  next  hymn  book  was  prepared  by  Henry  G.  bpayth, 
appearing  as  A  Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  the 
United  Brethren  in  Christ.  Prepared  by  order  of  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  of  1845  (1849)-  Spayth  is  remembered 
as  the  earliest  historian  of  his  Church,  and  not  for  any 
service  in  improving  its  English  Hymnody,  he  havmg  been 
educated  as  a  German.  His  book  proved  "deficient  m 
variety  fulness  and  richness," ^^=^  and  was  superseded  by  a 
new  one  with  the  same  title  as  that  of  1833  and  1837  (Day- 
ton O  1858),  containing  1070  hymns.  The  compilers 
aimed  to  avoid  "on  the  one  hand  the  spirit  of  dry  formalism. 
and  on  the  other,  that  of  uncuUivated  enthusiasm,"  includ- 
ing within  these  limits  many  of  the  standard  hymns  and 
many  from  the  revival  song  books. 

The  United  Brethren  fell  in  line  with  the  general  move- 
ment toward  a  "hymnal  with  tunes,"  and  published  Hymns 
of  the  Sanctuary,  and  social  worship.  With  tunes.  Day- 
ton O.:  U.  B.  Publ.  House,  1874.  As  compared  with  the 
Methodist  Hymnal  of  1878,  it  is  somewhat  larger  and  con- 
siderably less  Wesleyan,  with  a  more  "popular"  tone  in 
hymns  and  music,  and  from  the  stand-point  of  its  con- 
stituency a  more  usable  book. 

The  denomination  has  been  rather  prolific  in  the  publica- 
tion of  smaller  social  and  revival  hymn  books  and  in  those 
for  Sunday  school  use.  Joseph  Bever's  The  Christian  Song- 
ster (Dayton,  1858)  ranges  with  camp  meeting  song  books, 
and  was  popular  at  revivals.  The  Otterbein  Hymnal 
(1890)  met  the  demand  of  the  poorer  churches  for  a  small 
and  inexpensive  book,  and  under  the  name  of  The  People  s 
Hymnal  sought  the  undenominational  market.^^^ 

In  its  transition  from  a  German  to  an  English-speaking 
Church  the  United  Brethren  brought  nothing  from  German 
Song,  and  it  has  made  no  appreciable  contribution  to  Eng- 

"Preface  of  1858. 

"*C/.  Shuey,  Manual,  pp.  loi,  102. 


314  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

lish  Hymnody.  It  has  taken  from  the  hymn  books  of  its 
neighbors  such  hymns  and  songs  as  it  thought  adapted  to 
its  worship  and  evangeHstic  work.  Its  use  of  the  Spiritual 
Song  has  been  no  greater  than  in  some  Methodist  bodies, 
and  its  Hymnody  has  Httle  to  distinguish  it  from  theirs. 

(8)  The  Evangelical  Association  arose  in  1800  out 
of  the  evangeHstic  labors  of  Jacob  Albright  among  Pennsyl- 
vania Germans,  owing  to  the  unwillingness  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  to  use  German;  and  is  Methodist  in  doc- 
trine and  discipline.  The  earliest  hymn  books  were  German, 
but  with  the  spread  of  the  English  language  an  English 
hymn  book  was  prepared  in  1834  by  J.  M.  Saylor  and  J.  P. 
Leib,  under  appointment  of  the  Eastern  Conference.^^^  The 
larger  and  later  The  Evangelical  Hymn-Book  (Cleveland: 
The  Evangelical  Association,  c.  1868)  was  made  up  from 
current  hymn  books,  including  a  number  of  Sunday  school 
hymn  and  tune  books  of  the  Bradbury  type,  and  owed  much 
to  that  of  the  Methodist  Protestants.  It  contained  1254 
hymns.  The  Hymn  Book  of  the  Evangelical  Association 
(Cleveland,  1882),  prepared  by  order  of  the  General  Con- 
ference, was  smaller  (875  hymns),  made  less  use  of  Charles 
Wesley,  and  more  of  modern  writers,  and  was  on  the  whole 
an  improved  but  in  no  way  distinctive  collection.  In  1891 
disciplinary  measures  resulted  in  splitting  of  the  denomina- 
tion. The  Hymnal  of  the  United  Evangelical  Church  was 
ordered  by  the  first  conference  of  the  new  body,  appearing 
in  1897.  Its  literary  and  musical  standard  is  perhaps  the 
lowest  of  any  church  hymnal  of  its  decade.  The  hymns  for 
ordinary  church  use  are  set  to  the  old  familiar  American 
tunes,  accompanied  by  a  large  selection  of  "Gospel  Songs" ; 
and  these  are  followed  by  a  hundred  "choruses"  for  ejacu- 
latory  use  in  revival  meetings.  The  book  is  to  be  judged 
no  doubt  from  the  standpoint  "of  a  Church  so  preeminently 
evangelistic  as  the  United  Evangelical."  ^^" 

"^Landmarks  of  The  Evangelical  Association,  Reading,  188S,  pp. 
71,  74- 

""Preface. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  HYMNODY  OF  THE  EVANGELICAL 
REVIVAL 

I 

IN  WHITEFIELD'S  CIRCLE   (1741-1770) 

The  separation  on  doctrinal  grounds  of  the  Wesleys  and 
George  Whitefield  in  1741  proved  to  be  a  permanent 
division  of  the  XVIIIth  century  Revival  forces  into  Meth- 
odists and  Evangelicals.  Whitefield,  by  reason  of  his  flaming 
zeal  and  influence  over  men,  must  be  regarded  as  the  leader 
on  the  Calvinistic  side,  but  he  had  nothing  of  Wesley's 
impulse  and  ability  to  organize  his  followers,  and  indeed 
no  ambition  beyond  that  of  preaching  the  gospel  far  and 
wide.  Contemporary  observers  and  critics  saw  no  distinc- 
tion between  Methodists  and  Evangelicals,  even  regarding 
Whitefield  as  the  originator  and  leader  of  Methodism.^ 
But  by  the  participants  themselves  the  line  of  theological 
demarcation  was  keenly  felt  from  the  beginning ;  and  as  the 
Revival  progressed  each  party  tended  to  develop  its  peculiar 
methods  and  even  to  make  a  separate  sphere  of  operations. 
As  the  Revival  extended  into  the  Church  of  England,  the 
Evangelical  clergy  came  to  resent  the  imputation  of  Meth- 
odism and  to  lament  its  nonconformity  to  parochial  order. ^ 

There  was  no  one  on  the  Evangelical  side  who  shared  to 
the  full  John  Wesley's  deep  sense  of  the  importance  of  the 
H3'mn,  his  delight  in  hymn  singing,  or  his  skill  in  adminis- 

^So  Tindal  described  Whitefield  in  his  Contijiuation  of  Rapiii's 
History  of  England. 

'Cf.  J.  H.  Overton,  The  Evangelical  Revival  in  the  Eighteenth  Cen- 
tury, ed.  London,  1900,  pp.  45  fif. 

315 


3i6  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

tering  it  as  a  Christian  ordinance;  and  certainly  no  one 
who  equalled  Charles  Wesley  in  the  facility  and  felicity  of 
his  hymn  writing.  Nevertheless  the  Evangelical  Revival 
caught  and  retained  something  of  the  glow  of  Methodist 
Song,  developed  its  own  hymn  writers,  and  established  the 
permanent  lines  of  an  Evangelical  Hymnody.  Most  of  all, 
it  exercised  an  influence  on  the  general  extension  of  hymn 
singing  more  immediate  and  effective  than  that  of  Meth- 
odism itself. 

Whitefield  had  shared  in  the  use  of  hymn  singing  by 
the  Wesleys  as  an  aid  to  evangelism.  In  his  early  ministry 
and  preaching  tours  he  made  use  of  the  metrical  psalms 
bound  up  with  the  Prayer  Book,  the  Psalms  and  Hymns 
of  Dr.  Watts,  or  the  Wesleyan  hymns,  as  one  or  the  other 
type  happened  to  be  convenient  or  acceptable.  It  is  not 
clear  that  he  was  a  writer  of  hymns,  but  he  made  some 
use  of  manuscript  hymns  adapted  to  special  themes  or  occa- 
sions.^ Like  Wesley  he  encouraged  also  social  hymn  sing- 
ing as  an  act  of  devotion  or  even  as  a  witness-bearing  in 
unexpected  places.^  The  practical  influence  of  Whitefield's 
preaching,  wherever  he  went,  outside  of  such  parish 
churches  as  suffered  him,  was  overwhelmingly  in  favor  of 
the  singing  of  hymns  as  distinguished  from  metrical  psalms. 
This  was  not  only  from  the  force  of  his  personal  example 
in  using  hymns  freely,  but  because  the  evangelical  fervor 
he  aroused  demanded  an  evangelical  response  from  his 
auditors.  His  influence  in  this  respect  was  widespread ;  and 
we  have  already  noted  its  part  in  bringing  about  'The  Era 
of  Watts"  in  American  Churches. 

A  number  of  the  preachers  associated  with  Whitefield 
became  themselves  hymn  writers.  John  Cennick,  while 
still  assisting  him,  published  his  Sacred  Hymns  for  the 
Children  of  God,  in  the  days  of  their  pilgrimage.    By  J.  C. 

'See  the  hymn  "for  her  Ladyship"  in  The  Life  and  Times  of  Selina 
Countess  of  Huntingdon,  ed.  London,  1844,  vol.  i,  p.  117:  and  that  in 
L.  Tyerman,  Life  of  George  Whitefield,  New  York,  1877,  vol.  ii,  p.  241. 

*Tyerman,  op.  cit.,  vol.  i,  p.  241. 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL   317 

(London,  1741-42)  ;  and  Sacred  Hymns  for  the  use  of  Reli- 
gious Societies.  Generally  composed  in  dialogues  (Bristol, 
1743).  Many  of  these  hymns  commended  themselves  to 
Whitefield,  and  some  are  still  widely  known  and  sung.^  To 
the  later  collection,  Joseph  Humphreys,  a  co-worker,  con- 
tributed six  hymns. **  Cennick  also  introduced  into  some  of 
the  societies  classes  for  hymn  singing  patterned  after  the 
"choirs"  of  the  Moravians,  to  whom  his  heart  already 
turned."^  In  1742  Robert  Seagrave  published  his  Hymns 
for  Christian  worship:  partly  composed,  and  partly  collected 
from  various  authors  (London:  4th  ed.,  1748)  ;  of  which 
45  were  original.  The  first  ("Now  may  the  Spirit's  holy 
Fire")  Whitefield  afterwards  made  the  opening  hymn  of 
his  own  collection;  but  only  "The  Pilgrim's  Song"  ("Rise 
my  Soul,  and  stretch  thy  Wings" )  can  be  said  to  have  sur- 
vived.^ Seagrave  was  in  Anglican  orders,  and  in  his  preface 
denies  the  divine  prescription  of  psalm  singing.  Just  at 
the  point  of  leaving  Whitefield  for  the  Moravians  William 
Hammond  published  his  Psalms,  Hymns,  and  Spiritual 
Songs  (London,  1745).  His  hymns  are  of  merit,^  and 
numerous  versions  of  Latin  hymns  anticipated  by  nearly  a 
century  the  revival  of  Protestant  interest  in  Latin 
Hymnody. 

Seagrave's  book  was  prepared  for  his  congregation  at 
Loriner's  Hall,  where  he  was  Sunday  evening  lecturer  for 
many  years,  but  it  was  used  more  widely.  It  is  likely  that 
all  these  collections  had  more  or  less  use  in  the  societies, 
or  at  the  temporary  Tabernacle  at  Moorfields ;  but  when 


"Among  them,  "Children  of  the  heav'nly  King,"  "Jesus,  my  All,  to 
Heav'n  is  gone,"  "E'er  I  sleep,  for  ev'ry  Favour,"  "We  sing  to  Thee, 
Thou  Son  of  God"  and  "Brethren  let  us  join  to  bless." 

"Among  them,  "Blessed  are  the  sons  of  God." 

'See  Ty&vm'a.-n'?,  Whitefield,  vol.  ii,  p.  148. 

^Seagrave's  hymns  are  highly  regarded  by  Josiah  Miller,  Singers 
and  Songs  of  the  Church,  2nd  ed.,  London,  1869,  pp.  152,  153;  and 
have  been  reprinted  by  Daniel  Sedgwick. 

'  "Awake,  and  sing  the  song,"  and  "Lord,  we  come  before  Thee 
now,"  are  arranged  from  longer  hymns  in  this  book. 


3i8  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

the  new  Tabernacle  was  opened  in  1753,  Whitefield  felt  that 
he  should  have  a  hymn  book  of  his  own.  It  appeared  as 
Hymns  for  social  worship,  collected  from  various  authors, 
and  more  particularly  dcsign'd  for  the  use  of  the  Taber- 
nacle Congregation,  in  London.  By  George  Whitefield, 
A.B.,  late  of  Pembroke  College,  Oxford,  and  Chaplain  to 
the  Rt.  Hon.  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon,  London:  printed 
by  William  Strahan,  and  to  be  sold  at  the  Tabernacle,  near 
Moorficlds.   MDCCLHL^^ 

The  Countess  of  Huntingdon  had  "turned  Methodist" 
under  the  influence  of  her  sister-in-law,  Lady  Margaret 
Hastings,  who  married  Benjamin  Ingham,  one  of  Wesley's 
preachers;  and  became  a  member  of  the  society  meeting  in 
Fetter  Lane.  She  was  especially  moved  by  Whitefield's 
preaching.  On  his  return  from  America  in  1748,  she  exer- 
cised her  right  as  a  peeress  to  appoint  him  her  chaplain, 
and  opened  her  house  in  Park  Lane  that  he  might  preach 
to  semi-weekly  gatherings  of  the  aristocracy.  She  en- 
deavored in  vain  the  next  year  to  reunite  the  Wesleys  and 
Whitefield,  and  threw  her  influence  on  the  side  of  White- 
field.  It  was  his  hope  that  Lady  Huntingdon  would  assume 
charge  of  the  societies  he  had  founded,  the  management  of 
which  interfered  with  his  freedom  as  an  evangelist  ;^^  and 
it  was  largely  through  her  encouragement  that  he  under- 
took to  erect  the  new  and  larger  Tabernacle  at  Moorfields^- 
for  whose  use  his  hymn  book  was  prepared. 

Whitefield's  Hymns  contained  132  "for  public  worship"; 
38  "for  Society  and  Persons  meeting  in  Christian-Eellow- 
ship."     It  included  hymns  by  all  four  of  his  hymn  writing 

""The  book  is  described  in  The  Athenaeum  for  Nov.  14,  1903,  as 
"the  excessively  rare  first  edition  of  Whitefield's  'Hymns,' "  and  men- 
tion made  of  a  copy  that  "has  just  changed  hands  at  the  price  of  200 
guineas."  But  the  1st  ed.  is  far  from  being  "excessively  rare."  The 
copy  at  the  6th  McKee  sale  in  May,  1902,  brought  $4.50:  the  writer's 
copy  was  purchased  from  an  experienced  London  dealer  in  1896  at 
half  a  guinea. 

"Li/e  and  Times  of  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon,  vol.  i,  pp.  116,  117. 

^'Ibid.,  pp.  202,  203. 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL   319 

co-workers;  notal^ly  of  Cennick,  the  use  of  whose  "Hymns 
in  dialogue"  was  justified  by  a  reference  in  the  preface  to 
the  antiphonal  singing  of  cathedral  churches  and  of  the 
"Celestial  Choir."^^  A  score  of  the  hymns  of  the  Wesleys 
were  included,  but  the  hymns  of  Watts  predominated. 
Whitefield  aimed  at  a  standard  of  Praise  combining  the 
doctrine  and  dignity  of  Watts  with  the  evangelical  fervor 
of  Charles  Wesley  and  his  own  colleagues.  He  thought 
congregational  hymns  "ought  to  abound  much  in  Thanks- 
giving," and  "be  of  such  a  Nature,  that  all  who  attend  may 
join  in  them  without  being  obliged  to  sing  lies,  or  not  sing 
at  all."  This  was  to  confine  his  choice  within  what  we 
have  called  Watts'  "Common  Ground,"  and  to  avoid  the 
individualistic  Wesleyan  hymns.  It  involved  also  some 
textual  changes  in  the  Wesleyan  hymns  used;  a  freedom 
which  Wesley  bitterly  resented. ^^ 

The  actual  use  of  Whitefield's  hymn  book  by  his  own 
societies,  and  beyond  them,  was  very  large.  Daniel  Sedg- 
Vv'ick  has  found  thirty-six  editions  between  1753  and  1796.^^ 
Through  it  a  number  of  hymns  now  familiar,  were  given 
circulation.  Its  greatest  permanent  importance  lay  in  its 
influence  with  the  early  Evangelical  clergy  of  the  Church  of 
England,  which  made  it  the  forerunner  and  even  the  model 
of  the  earlier  group  of  hymnals  in  the  Church  of  England. 


II 

IN  LADY  HUNTINGDON'S  CONNEXION 
(1764-1865) 

Whitefield  did  not  found  a  new  denomination,  nor  did 
Lady  Huntingdon  assume  the  leadership  of  his  societies, 

'^  "Represented  in  the  Book  of  Revelations,  as  answering  one  another 
in  their  heavenly  Anthems." 

"See  his  preface  to  the  Methodist  Collection,  of  1780. 
"'Tyerman's  Whitefield,  vol.  ii,  p.  294. 


320  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

which  were  destined  to  disintegration.  Her  aim  was  rather 
to  improve  the  Church  of  England.  She  claimed  the  right 
to  build  private  chapels,  and  to  furnish  them  with  preachers 
by  appointing  clergymen  as  her  domestic  chaplains ;  and  by 
so  doing  built  up  gradually  a  "connexion"  within  the  bounds 
of  the  Church.  But  the  opening  of  her  chapel  in  Spa  Fields 
in  1 779  was  opposed.  She  was  obliged  to  take  shelter  under 
the  Toleration  Act,  to  register  her  ministers  as  dissenting 
ministers,  and  her  chapels  as  dissenting  places  of  worship.^*' 
The  parochial  clergy  among  her  chaplains  (Romaine,  Venn, 
Beveridge,  and  others )  withdrew,  and  her  work  took  shape 
as  a  new  denomination,  "Lady  Huntingdon's  Connexion."^^ 

Lady  Huntingdon  shared  the  Methodist  feeling  for 
hymns ;  and  in  the  meetings  at  her  different  houses  she  made 
hymn  singing  familiar  in  those  aristocratic  circles  into  which 
Methodism  itself  made  no  effort  to  penetrate.  From  her 
social  influence,  her  headship  of  her  many  chapels,  and  her 
intimate  relations  with  church  and  dissent,  she  was  espe- 
cially well  situated  to  aid  the  extension  of  hymn  singing; 
and  she  was  an  influence  behind  the  movement  to  introduce 
hymns  into  the  Church  of  England.  She  concerned  her- 
self with  the  development  of  an  evangelical  Hymnody, 
combining  evangelical  fervor  with  Calvinistic  doctrine,  pri- 
marily for  her  own  chapels  but  having  wider  bearings. 

Whether  or  not  Lady  Huntingdon  contributed  hymns  of 
her  own  composition  is  uncertain.  As  early  as  1748  Dod- 
dridge, writing  after  preaching  at  her  house,  confesses  to 
his  wife:^^  "I  have  stolen  a  hymn,  which  I  steadfastly 
believe  to  be  written  by  good  Lady  Huntingdon."  The 
opinion  that  she  was  a  hymn  writer  was  shared  by  others, 
until  it  acquired  the  force  of  a  tradition.  Josiah  Miller 
regarded  it  "as  proved  beyond  doubt  that  she  was  the 
author  of  a  few  hymns  of  great  excellence,"  and  asserted 

"See  her  Life  and  Times,  vol.  ii,  pp.  309  flf. 
^'Ibid.,  p.  490. 

^^Correspondence  and  Diary  of  Philip  Doddridge,  vol.  v,  London, 
1831,  p.  74- 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL  321 

that  a  known  list  of  them  was  lost.^''  But  such  a  claim  is 
not  supported  by  actual  evidence. 

Lady  Huntingdon's  part  in  the  preparation  of  hymn 
books  for  her  chapels  is  much  more  certain,  though  not 
wholly  defined.  It  is  doubtful  if  full  materials  for  a  history 
of  the  Hymnody  of  her  Connexion  now  exist.  The  earliest 
hymn  book  now  known  is  A  Collection  of  Hymns.  London. 
Printed  for  William  Lee  at  Lewes,  in  Sussex,  MDCCLXIV. 
It  is  compiled  from  James  Allen's  Kendal  Hymn  Book  of 
1754  and  other  sources,  and  has  a  Moravian  rather  than  a 
Calvinistic  flavor.  "Society  Hymns"  and  "Congregational 
Hymns"  are  distinguished;  and  the  preface  is  an  earnest 
evangelistic  appeal,  which,  according  to  Miller,^"  was 
written  by  the  Countess  herself.  It  was  followed  by  a  series 
of  local  hymn  books  which  plainly  had  her  approval  and 
probably  her  supervision.  The  first  wB.s,The  Collection  of 
Hymns  sung  in  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon's  Chapel, 
Bristol  (Bath,  1765,  3rd.  ed.,  1770).  The  distinction  be- 
tween "Society"  and  "Congregational"  hymns  was  con- 
tinued, but  large  use  was  here  made  of  Watts,  Charles 
\\^esley,  and  current  Calvinistic  hymn  writers.  Then  came 
A  Collection  of  Hymns  sung  in  the  Countess  of  Hunting- 
don's Chapels  in  Sussex  (Edinburgh,  n.  d. ;  c.  1771 ) .  Then, 
next,  A  Collection  of  Hymns  sung  in  the  Countess  of  Hunt- 
ingdon's Chapels,  Bath  (Bristol,  c.  1774),  in  which  the 
greater  festivals  are  provided  for,  and  there  are  fifty- 
one  hymns  "for  the  Sacrament."  There  followed  The 
Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns,  sung  in  the  Countess 
of  Huntingdon's  Chapels,  in  Lincolnshire  (Gainsborough, 
1778). 

During  these  formative  years  Lady  Huntingdon  appears 
to  have  encouraged,  or  perhaps  permitted,  her  ministers  to 

^"Singers  and  Songs  of  the  Church,  London,  1869,  p.  183.  The  only 
hymn  he  mentions  as  hers  is  the  well-known  "O  when  my  righteous 
Judge  shall  come."  For  all  really  known  of  its  history,  see  Julian, 
Dictionary  of  Hymnology,  p.  854. 

'"Singers  and  Songs,»p.  182. 


322  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

make  hymn  books  for  their  own  use.  Thomas  Maxfield,^^ 
one  of  the  first  of  Wesley's  lay  preachers,  later  in  Anglican 
orders,  had  revolted  from  Methodism,  and  brought  a  con- 
siderable following  over  to  the  Calvinistic  side.  He  printed 
A  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns:  extracted  from  various 
authors:  with  some  never  published  before.  London: 
printed  and  sold  at  his  chapel  in  Rope-maker's  Alley,  Little 
Moorfields,  &c.,  MDCCLXVI  (2nd.  ed.,  1768;  3rd  ed., 
1778).  He  aimed  in  this  to  emphasize  his  newly  adopted 
Calvinism.  Its  "Collection  of  Hymns"  (250)  and  "Collec- 
tions of  Psalms"  (150)  are  followed  by  a  series  of  inde- 
pendently numbered  groups  "for  the  Nativity,"  for  "New 
Year's  Day,"  &c.,  evidently  in  imitation  of  Wesley's  hymn 
tracts.  The  Revs.  Herbert  Jones  and  William  Taylor  were 
the  preachers  of  the  new  Spa  Fields  Chapel  whose  erection 
occasioned  Lady  Huntingdon's  withdrawal  from  the  Church 
of  England.  They  published  for  it  in  1777  a  Collection 
mostly  compiled  from  the  earlier  books  and  from  White- 
field's.22 

But  the  time  had  come,  in  Lady  Huntingdon's  judgment, 
for  a  common  hymn  book  for  her  now  very  numerous 
chapels.^^  It  would  promote  uniformity,  and  the  profits  on 
its  sale  would  help  to  support  the  work.^^  She  personally 
undertook  the  selection  of  the  hymns,  relying  upon  the 
assistance  of  her  cousin,  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  Walter 
Shirley. ^^  The  new  book  appeared  as  A  select  Collection 
of  Hymns  to  be  universally  sung  in  all  the  Countess  of 
Huntingdon's  Chapels.  Collected  by  her  Ladyship.  London 
MDCCLXXX.  Its  298  hymns  represent  in  the  main  her 
choice  of  the  hymns  already  used  in  her  chapels;  and  com- 
prise a  compact  devotional  presentation  of  the  Calvinistic 


"For  Lady  Huntingdon's  relations  with  Maxfield,  see  her  Life  and 
Times,  vol.  i,  pp.  33,  34. 
-^Ibid.,  vol.  ii,  p.  306. 

-^There  were  over  80  at  the  date  of  her  death. 
"Preface  of   1808. 
"'^Her  Life  and  Times,  vol.  ii,  p.  201,  note. 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGETJCAL  REVIVAL  323 

interpretation  of  the  gospel  of  grace.""  This  collection 
stood  the  test  of  use,  and  the  maintenance  of  it  in  its 
integrity  became  a  matter  of  loyalty  to  the  Comitess.  Sup- 
plements were  added  in  1796  and  1808,  after  her  death; 
and  in  view  of  numerous  "surreptitious  editions,"  more  or 
less  incorrect,  the  book  was  copyrighted  by  her  Trustees.-' 
Some  independent  supplements  followed :  Isaac  Nicholson's 
full  Collection  of  Hymns  .  .  .  for  Mulberry  Gardens'  Chapel 
(1807);  John  Sartain's  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  Brighton 
(1819) ;  Thomas  Young's  The  Beauties  of  Dr.  Watts,  with 
popular  Hymns  (1819)  ;  and  the  Appendix  of  "G.  H."  of 
Worcester  in  1848.  In  1854  a  new  hymn  book  appeared  by 
order  of  the  Conference  as  The  Countess  of  Huntingdon  s 
Connexion  Hymn  Book,  and  this  also  has  been  supplemented 
by  the  now  dwindling  denomination  (The  Connexion  Hymn 
Book  with  Supplement,  1865). 

Lady  Huntingdon  was  intimate  with  the  Wesleys,  the 
hostess  of  Zinzendorf,  the  friend  of  Watts  and  Doddridge, 
and  the  center  of  the  group  of  hymn  writers  developed  on 
the  Calvinistic  side  of  the  Revival,  whether  of  Whitefield's 
following  or  her  own,  or  remaining,  like  Toplady,  in  the 
established  Church.  Of  her  immediate  circle,  her  cousin 
Walter  Shirley  contributed  several  hymns  to  her  Collection, 
and  is  still  remembered  for  his  "Sweet  the  moments  rich  in 
blessing,"  a  recast  of  a  hymn  by  James  Allen,  and  appearing 
in  the  1770  edition  of  the  Bristol  collection.  A  more  copious 
writer  was  Thomas  Haweis,  whose  hymns  appeared  as 
Carmina  Christ 0;  or  Hymns  to  the  Saviour  (Bath,  1792), 
This  book  of  Haweis  was  regarded  by  many  as  a  companion 
to  her  Ladyship's  Collection,  and  was  often  bound  up  with 

"°Nos.  62-64,  "The  Joy  of  Faith,"  from  Toplady's  Psalms  and 
Hymns  of  1776: 

"How  happy  are  we, 
Our  election  who  see, 
And  can  venture  our  souls  on  Thy  gracious  decree." 
is  an  anti-Wesleyan  presentation  of  the  grounds  of   evangelical  joy, 
set  forth  in  the  Wesleyan  rhythm. 
''Preface  of  1808. 


324  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

it.  From  it  come  his  familiar  hymns :  "From  the  cross 
uplifted  high,"  "Enthron'd  on  high,  almighty  Lord!"  and 
"O  Thou,  from  whom  all  goodness  flows."  Lady  Hunting- 
don's concern  for  the  Calvinistic  Methodist  movement  in 
Wales  brought  her  the  friendship  of  William  Williams,  its 
chief  hymn  writer.  Williams  had  also  printed  in  early  life 
an  attempt  at  hymn  writing  in  English,  Hosannah  to  the 
Son  of  David;  or  Hymns  of  Praise  to  God  (Bristol,  1759). 
It  is  claimed^^  that  after  seeing  this  book  Lady  Huntingdon 
induced  him  to  prepare  his  Gloria  in  Excelsis:  or  Hymns  of 
Praise  to  God  and  the  Lamb  (Carmarthen,  1772).  It  is 
certain  that  she  included  a  number  of  hymns  from  this  book 
in  her  Collection,  including  "O'er  those  gloomy  Hills  of 
Darkness,"  a  forerunner  of  the  later  Missionary  Hymnody. 
His  "Guide  me,  O  Thou  Great  Jehovah"  (first  written  in 
Welsh),  was  printed  as  a  leaflet  for  use  by  the  students  of 
Lady  Huntingdon's  college  and  included  in  the  Collection 
for  Sussex  (c.  1771 )  ;  being  thus  started  on  its  great  career. 
To  develop  and  maintain  an  interest  in  hymn  singing 
demanded  attention  to  its  musical  interests,  if  only  to  con- 
quer the  lethargy  resulting  from  the  degraded  ideals  and 
methods  of  Church  of  England  psalmody.  Whitefield  had 
no  special  gift  for  musical  leadership,  but  Lady  Hunting- 
don was  interested  in  music  and  not  satisfied  merely  to  adopt 
the  Wesleyan  tune  books.  She  knew  most  of  the  prominent 
musicians,  including  Handel,  and  included  the  words  of  the 
choruses  of  his  Messiah  in  her  Collection.  This  suggests 
her  ambitions  for  her  chapel  services,  but  the  withdrawal  of 
these  anthems  after  her  death  indicates  a  conclusion  that 
they  were  beyond  the  available  musical  resources.  She 
engaged  Giardini,  the  great  violinist  of  her  day,  to  compose 
some   tunes    for  her  chapels, ^^   and   secured   others    from 

-'E.  Morgan  in  Daniel  Sedgwick's  reprint  of  Williams'  two  publica- 
tions as  above,  London,  1859,  p.  x. 

"*  "Is  it  true  that  Lady  Rockingham  is  turned  Methodist?  It  will  be  a 
great  acquisition  to  the  sect  to  have  their  hymns  set  by  Giardini." 
Horace  Walpole,  June  25,  1768,  in  Toynbee  ed.  of  his  Letters,  vol.  vii, 
Oxford,  1904,  p.  205. 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL  325 

Giordani,  another  Italian  musician  in  London,  with  a  very 
similar  name.  At  her  request,  the  younger  Charles  Wesley, 
whose  musical  career  she  had  assisted,  composed  a  tune  for 
her  favorite  "In  Christ  my  treasure's  all  contained."^'" 
Among  her  chaplains  Thomas  Haweis  was  the  most  musi- 
cal, and  composed  tunes  published  after  her  death  as 
Original  Music  suited  to  the  various  metres.  The  curious 
oblong  shape  assumed  by  the  Connexion  hymn  books  has  not 
been  explained,  but  may  have  been  adopted  as  convenient 
for  printing  tunes  ta  be  bound  up  with  them. 


Ill 

SOME  BY-STREAMS  OF  THE  HYMNODY 
■  (1748-1808) 

Several  by-streams  of  Hymnody  can  be  conveniently 
traced  from  this  point. 

Benjamin  Ingham,  Lady  Huntingdon's  brother-in-law, 
had  been  the  Wesleys'  fellow-voyager  to  Georgia,  and  on 
his  return  became  an  evangelist.  He  turned  over  to  the 
Moravians  many  societies  he  founded  in  Yorkshire  and 
adjacent  counties,  but  ultimately  organized  his  followers  as 
a  new  sect  (Inghamites),  making  a  sort  of  bishop  of  him- 
self and  ordaining  his  preachers.  He  published  for  them  A 
Collection  of  Hymns  for  Societies.  Leeds:  printed  by  James 
Lister,  1/48.  Of  its  88  hymns  15  are  from  Watts,  8  from 
the  Wesleys,  5  from  Cennick :  his  own  share  is  undeter- 
mined. Later  a  group  of  his  helpers  put  forth  A  Collection 
of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  those  that  seek,  and  those  that 
have  redemption  in  the  Blood  of  Christ.  Kendal:  printed 
by  The.  Ashburner.  MDCCLVH  (2nd  ed.  with  appx., 
1 761 ) .  James  Allen  and  Christopher  Batty  were  the  largest 
contributors,   and  the   flavor  of   the  whole   is   Moravian. 

'"Her  Life  and  Times,  vol.  i,  p.  230. 


326  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Much  of  its  contents  is  doggerel.^ ^  A  year  later  Ingham 
sent  Batty  and  Allen  northward  to  inquire  into  a  movement 
inaugurated  by  John  Glas.  They  returned  as  converts  to 
the  Glassite  discipline  and  theology,  and  in  the  disputes  and 
disruption  that  followed  the  Inghamite  connexion  was 
almost  completely  wrecked. 

The  Rev.  John  Glas  had  been  deposed  from  the  ministry 
of  the  Church  of  Scotland  in  1728.  He  formed  at  Perth 
and  elsewhere  churches  aiming  to  revive  primitive  discipline, 
with  such  ordinances  as  feet  washing,  the  love  feast  and 
community  of  goods.  In  public  worship  they  were  psalm 
singers,  but  for  their  fellowship  meetings  were  composed 
Christian  Songs,  first  appearing  at  Edinburgh,  1749.  Its 
38  songs  increased  in  number  with  each  new  edition,  the 
fifth  (1775)  having  95  songs  and  11  "elegies."  The  eighth 
(1794)  added  a  second  part  of  25  songs,  enlarged  to  114 
in  the  fourteenth  edition  of  1872.  An  edition  printed  for 
the  Edinburgh  congregation  in  1875  was  little  more  than  a 
reprint  of  the  first  part  of  the  1794  edition.  Most  of  the 
songs  were  on  themes  already  familiar,  but  many  show 
more  than  the  usual  lyrical  feeling  and  facility,  and  are 
referred  to  current  Scottish  and  English  song-tunes.  Beside 
its  long  popularity  in  Glassite  congregations,  now  become 
few  and  small,  the  Christian  Songs  is  of  some  interest  as 
the  source  of  hymns  in  various  collections.^^ 

^'The  book  is  known  as  The  Kendal  Hymn  Book.  Allen's  "Glory  to 
God  on  high"  came  into  wide  use :  his  "While  my  Jesus  I'm  possessing" 
was  the  basis  of  "Sweet  the  moments  rich  in  blessing."  Christopher 
and  William  Batty  afterwards  printed  A  Publication  of  Hymns,  in  two 
parts  (4th  ed.,  Nottingham,  1803).  Christopher's  "Captain  of  thy 
enlisted  host"  had  some  use. 

^-These  can  be  traced  through  Julian's  Diet,  of  Hymnology,  art. 
"Scottish  Hymnody,"  pp.  1030  f.  Glas'  son-in-law  Robert  Sandeman 
came  to  Boston  in  1764,  and  established  churches  known  as  Sande- 
manian  in  several  towns.  For  their  history  see  Williston  Walker, 
"The  Sandemanians  in  New  England"  in  Annual  Rept.  of  Amer.  Hist. 
Assn.  for  1901,  vol.  i,  p.  133.  A  hymn  book  for  their  use  appeared  as 
Christian  Songs;  written  by  Mr.  John  Glas,  and  others.  The  seventh 
edition  Perth,  printed:   Providence,   reprinted.   MDCCLXXXVH, 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL  327 

James  Relly,  a  convert  and  afterward  a  preacher  of 
Whitefield's,  broke  with  him  on  doctrinal  grounds,  adopt- 
ing very  comfortable  views  of  the  union  of  the  whole  race 
with  the  Redeemer.  His  London  society  was  probably  the 
first  attempt  at  organized  Universalism,  and  kept  its  meet- 
ing house  open  till  1830.=^^  He  published  at  London  in 
1754  Christian  Hymns,  Poems,  and  Spiritual  Songs,  sacred 
to  the  praise  of  God  our  Saviour:  the  fifty-page  poem  and 
first  book  of  hymns  by  himself,  the  second  by  his  brother 
John.  It  is  easier  to  understand  that  these  rude  hymns 
should  support  the  charge  of  antinomianism  brought  against 
Relly,  than  that  they  should  prove  attractive  in  reading  or 
worship.  But  they  were  reprinted  in  1758,  1777,  and  1791, 
and  were  associated  with  the  Universalist  movement  in 
America.  It  was  no  doubt  natural  that  each  of  these 
XVIIIth  century  sectarian  movements  should  aim  at  having 
its  own  Hymnody. 

As  independent  in  spirit  as  these  founders  of  sects,  but 
in  doctrine  straitly  Calvinistic,  was  Rowland  Hill.  At 
one  in  his  views  with  Whitefield  and  Lady  Huntingdon,  an 
imitator  of  the  former's  methods  and  associated  with  the 
latter's  work,  he  was  as  unwilling  to  become  the  colleague 
of  either  as  unable  to  keep  to  the  lines  of  the  Church  of 
England,  of  which  he  was  an  ordained  clergyman.  After 
an  itinerant  ministry  of  twelve  years,  he  founded  in  London 
the  famous  Surrey  Chapel.  During  a  fifty  years'  ministry 
there,  with  some  use  of  church  formularies  but  without 
episcopal  sanction,  he  exerted  an  influence  in  popularizing 
hymn  singing  that  was  not  unfelt  in  the  Church  itself. 
Hill  had  published  at  London  in  1774  A  Collection  of 
Psalms  and  Hymns,  chiefly  intended  for  the  use  of  the 
poor;  and  on  opening  Surrey  Chapel  in  1783  printed  for 
it  A  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns,  chiefly  intended  for 
public  worship  (M.  Pasham,  1783)-  He  believed  in  the 
sacred  use  of  popular  melodies,  and  his  organist,  B.  Jacob, 

•''Richard  Eddy,  "The  Universalists"   in  American   Church  History 
Series,  vol.  x,  p.  349. 


328  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

cooperated  with  him,  as  appears  from  a  Collection  of  Hymn 
Tunes  (c.  1800).  His  hymn  "When  Jesus  first,  at  Heav'n's 
command,"  set  to  "Rule  Britannia,"  with  which  he  stirred 
the  hearts  of  the  Volunteers  during  the  Napoleonic  wars, 
was  long  remembered. ^^  An  early  Sunday  school  worker, 
Hill  also  popularized  the  ideal  of  a  Children's  Hymnody. 
Jacob  prepared  for  him  a  tune  book  for  Watts'  Divine  and 
moral  Songs,  and  Hill  himself  published  Divine  Hymns 
attempted  in  easy  language  for  the  use  of  children  (and 
revised  by  Cowper:  ist  ed.,  1790)  ;  A  Collection  of  Hymns 
for  children  (1808)  ;  and  Hymns  for  schools  (1832).  As 
a  hymn  writer,  Hill  was  of  Watts'  school ;  and  the  prefaces 
of  his  various  collections  show  that  he  contributed  to  them 
much  more  material  than  can  now  be  identified.  Of  the 
hymns  that  were  new  in  one  or  other  edition  of  the  Collec- 
tion of  1783,  "Cast  thy  burden  on  the  Lord,"  "We  sing 
His  love  who  once  was  slain,"  and  "With  heavenly  power, 
O  Lord,  defend,"  are  in  common  use  to  the  present  time. 


IV 
IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND  (i 760-1819) 

I.     Introduction   of   Hymn    Singing   by   the   Evan- 
gelicals (1760- 1 776) 

Both  the  Wesleys  and  Whitefield  had  proposed  an  evan- 
gelistic movement  within  the  Church  of  England.  It  is 
difficult  to  conceive  the  reshaping  of  the  Church  that  would 
have  resulted,  had  they  been  allowed  to  fulfil  their  purpose. 
In  fact  their  gospel,  their  methods,  and  most  of  all  their 
"enthusiasm,"  aroused  general  hostility,  and  closed  the 
parish  churches  against  the  "New  Light"  and  the  new  song 
it  inevitably  awakened.  There  were  nevertheless  in  the 
ranks  of  the  clergy  some  minds  open  to  evangelical  impres- 

'^It  is  in  William  James,  Memoir  of  the  Rev.  Rowland  Hill,  3rd  ed., 
London,  1845,  p.  349. 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL  329 

sions,  and  the  actual  effect  of  the  Revival  was  to  develop 
in  the  Church  of  England  an  Evangelical  Party. 

The  early  Evangelicals  were  Calvinists,  in  sympathy  with 
Whitefield.  They  moved  in  Lady  Huntingdon's  circle,  and 
were  thus  in  direct  contact  with  the  new  Hymnody.  Some 
of  them,  like  Beveridge  of  Everton,  and  Grimshaw  of 
Haworth,  had  control  of  their  own  churches ;  but,  in  Lon- 
don especially,  the  Evangelicals  were  dependent  upon  Lady 
Huntingdon's  house,  the  chapels  she  erected,  the  proprietary 
chapels  others  were  allowed  by  the  bishops  to  establish  as 
the  only  form  of  church  extension  then  practicable,  and  the 
endowed  "lectureships"  in  various  parish  churches  where 
the  nomination  of  the  lecturer  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
parishioners.^^  By  means  of  these  the  opportunity  was 
found  to  preach  an  evangelical  gospel  within  the  Church 
of  England;  and  also  to  introduce  hymn  singing  into  its 
services,  without  having  to  encounter  the  opposition  inevita- 
ble in  parish  churches  with  long-established  traditions  in 
favor  of  psalm  singing. 

The  first  of  the  Evangelical  leaders  was  the  excellent 
William  Romaine,  hustled  from  place  to  place  in  London 
before  he  could  obtain  a  hearing.  As  it  happened,  he  was 
a  conscientious  opponent  of  hymn  singing  in  general  and 
of  the  Hymnody  of  the  Revival  in  particular.  He  held  the 
extreme  Calvinistic  position  as  to  the  exclusive  use  of  in- 
spired words  in  Praise,  and  was  able  to  impose  his  views 
upon  his  own  congregation.  But  he  could  not  stay  the 
rising  tide  of  hymn  singing  or  make  a  breach  between  the 
gospel  and  the  hymns  of  the  Revival. 

In  Martin  Madan  the  new  hymn  singing  found  an  effec- 
tive sponsor.  He  and  his  friends  had  built  the  chapel  in 
connection  with  the  Lock  Hospital,  near  Hyde  Park  Corner, 
which  introduced  Evangelicalism  into  the  West  End.  For 
its  use  he  prepared  and  published  A  Collection  of  Psalms 
and  Hymns,  extracted  from  various  authors,  and  published 

^'"StQ  G.  R.  Balleine,  A  History  of  the  Evangelical  Party  in  the 
Church  of  England,  London,  1908,  pp.  60-63. 


330  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

by  the  Reverend  Mr.  Madan.  London:  printed  by  Henry 
Cock:  and  sold  at  the  Lock  Hospital,  near  Hyde  Park, 
MDCCLX.  The  book  was  plainly  modelled  on  Whitefield's, 
and  often  uses  his  textual  alterations.  Its  170  hymns  were 
put  together  without  arrangement,  beyond  a  grouping  of 
"Sacramental  Hymns."  There  was  nothing  to  distinguish 
it  as  being  of  the  Church  of  England.  Its  choice  of  hymns 
and  bright  and  cheerful  tone  gave  immediate  satisfaction. 
For  some  six  years  it  had  the  field  to  itself,  reaching  a 
second  edition  in  1763,  a  fourth  in  1765,  and  a  twelfth  in 
1787.  Madan's  knack  in  reconstructing  the  work  of  other 
hands  made  his  book  a  permanent  influence  both  for  good 
and  evil.  A  number  of  familiar  hymns  still  bear  the  marks 
of  his  editorial  revision.  Madan  was  a  musician,  and,  to 
accompany  his  hymn  book,  printed  A  Collection  of  Psalm 
and  Hymn  Tunes,  never  published  before,  i/6p.  Edited  by 
M.  Madan.^^  It  was  reprinted  both  in  England  and 
America,  and  included  33  tunes  from  his  own  hand.  These 
florid  strains,  then  new,  gained  much  vogue :  "Helmsley" 
and  "Huddersfield"  still  survive.  The  contempt  expressed 
for  these  tunes  by  the  modern  Anglican  school  views  them 
out  of  perspective.  If  they  tickled  the  ear,  it  was  with  a 
view  of  arousing  faculties  that  slept  through  the  droned 
notes  of  parish  Psalmody  and  of  quickening  the  pace  of  the 
singing.    And  in  this  they  were  successful. 

The  humorous  and  sturdy  John  Berridge  was  as  early  on 
the  field  as  Madan,  but  less  effective.  He  published  A  Col- 
lection of  Divine  Songs,  designed  chiefly  for  the  Religious 
Societies  of  Churchmen  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Everton, 
Bedfordshire  (1760).  As  may  be  inferred,  Berridge  was 
already  a  "Methodist,"  a  field-preacher,  and  encourager  of 
societies  outside  the  parish  churches.  His  collection  is 
mostly  Wesleyan,  with  some  hymns  from  Watts  and  some 
originals.  With  a  change  in  doctrinal  views  Berridge 
became 

"Not   wholly   satisfied   with   the   collection    [he]    had   published.     The 
""Generally  called  "The  Lock  Collection." 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL  331 

bells  indeed,  had  been  chiefly  cast  in  a  celebrated  Foundery,  and  in 
ringing  were  tunable  enough,  none  more  so,  but  a  clear  gospel  tone 
was  not  found  in  them  all.  Human  wisdom  and  strength,  perfection 
and  merit,  give  Sion's  bells  a  Levitical  twang,  and  drown  the  mellow 
tone  of  the  gospel  outright."  ^' 

With  such  convictions  Berridge  attempted  to  suppress  his 
Divine  Songs,  buying  and  destroying  every  copy  he  could 
secure.  During  a  six  months'  illness  in  the  early  seventies 
he  composed  a  large  number  of  hymns.  A  few  of  these 
appeared  in  The  Gospel  Magazine,  or  elsewhere :  most  were 
laid  aside  till  in  1785  he  printed  the  whole  body  of  them  as 
Sion's  Songs,  or  Hymns:  composed  for  the  use  of  them 
that  love  and  follow  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity.  By 
John  Berridge,  M.A.,  Vicar  of  Evcrton  (London).  There 
were  342  hymns  of  a  homely  type,  without  classification  or 
even  an  index  of  first  lines,  but  numbered  as  a  hymn  book. 
They  were  sung  no  doubt  through  the  circuit  of  Berridge's 
preaching  and  societies,  but  made  no  marked  impression  on 
Evangelical  Hymnody.  New  editions  in  1805  and  1820 
may  have  been  as  much  designed  for  reading  as  for  singing, 
as  was  J.  C.  Philpots'  reprint  of  1842.^^ 

Seven  years  after  Madan's  Collection  and  Berridge's 
earlier  hymn  book,  Richard  Conyers,  Vicar  of  Helmsley  in 
Yorkshire,  published  A  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns, 
from  various  authors:  for  the  use  of  serious  and  devout 
Christians  of  every  denomination  (London,  1767).  This  is 
the  third  of  the  Church  of  England  hymnals,  revealing  by 
■  its  title  how  broad  was  the  sympathy  of  the  early  Evangeli- 
cals. The  printing  of  a  fifth  edition  at  York  in  1788  shows 
that  it  helped  to  extend  and  provide  for  hymn  singing  at  the 
North.  Conyers  followed  Madan's  lead  and  appropriated 
fully  two  thirds  of  the  contents  of  Madan's  Collection.    He 

''Preface  to  Sion's  Songs,   1785-  . 

'"There  is  a  good  account  of  Berridge  and  his  hymns  m  Thos. 
Wright,  Augustus  M.  Toplady,  &c.,  London,  191 1,  PP-  252-60.  Gadsby's 
Memoirs  of  Hymn-Writers  and  Compilers  is  fuller,  but  maccurate. 
Berridge's  best  remembered  hymns  are:  "Jesus,  cast  a  look  on  me," 
"O  happy  saints,  who  dwell  in  light,"  and  "Since  Jesus  freely  did 
appear"   (in  altered  forms). 


332  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

was  however  happy  in  getting  his  friend  Cowper  interested 
in  his  book  and  in  securing  contributions  from  that  poet. 
His  second  edition  of  1772  will  always  have  a  place  as  the 
original  source  of  "There  is  a  fountain  fill'd  with  blood," 
and  "Oh !  for  a  closer  walk  with  God." 

The  fourth  of  the  Evangelical  series  appeared  in  1775. 
That  was  also  the  year  of  Romaine's  philippic  against  the 
new  Hymnody,  in  which  he  reveals  the  situation  as  he 
saw  it : 

"The  hymn-makers  .  .  .  have  supplied  us  with  a  vast  variety,  collec- 
tion upon  collection,  and  in  use  too,  new  hymns  starting  up  daily — 
appendix  added  to  appendix — sung  in  many  congregations,  yea  ad- 
mired by  very  high  professors  to  such  a  degree,  that  the  psalms  are 
become  quite  obsolete,  and  the  singing  of  them  is  now  almost  as 
despicable  among  the  modern  religious,  as  it  was  some  time  ago  among 
the  prophane."^^ 

Romaine,  no  doubt,  is  speaking  not  of  the  Church  at 
large,  but  of  the  small  group  of  churches  affected  by  the 
movement  which  he  represented  at  London,  and  De  Courcy 
(whose  recent  appointment  by  Lord  Dartmouth  as  Vicar  of 
St.  Alkmund's,  Shrewsbury,  caused  a  great  stir)  repre- 
sented at  the  West.  The  latter's  A  Collection  of  Psalms  and 
Hymns,  extracted  from  different  authors  .  .  .  with  a 
preface  by  the  Reverend  Mr.  De  Courcy  (Shrewsbury, 
1775:  2nd  ed.,  1782),  might  seem  a  defiance  of  Romaine; 
for  its  distinction  lay  in  the  increased  number  of  authors 
from  whom  it  drew,  adding  for  their  accommodation 
"appendix  to  appendix"  in  its  later  editions. 

But  in  the  project  of  widening  the  area  of  the  Evangelical 
Hymnody  these  later  editions  had  been  preceded,  and  prob- 
ably influenced,  by  another  hymn  book  of  greater  impor- 
tance :  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  public  and  private  worship. 
Collected  (for  the  most  part),  and  published,  by  Augustus 
Toplady,  A.B.,  Vicar  of  Broad  Hembury.  London:  printed 
for  E.  and  C.  Dilly,  1776.  "It  ought,"  Toplady  said,  "to 
be  the  best  that  has  yet  appeared,  considering  the  great 
number  of  volumes    (no   fewer  than  between   forty  and 

^"An  Essay  on  Psalmody,  London,  1775,  pp.  104,  105. 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL   333 

fifty),  which  have,,  more  or  less,  contributed  to  this  Com- 
pilation."^'^ In  its  418  hymns  many  Nonconformists,  beside 
Watts,  were  represented,  some  of  them  new  to  Church  of 
England  hymn  books.  The  book  was  occasioned  by  Top- 
lady's  removal  to  London,  and  was  made  for  the  evening 
congregation  he  had  gathered  in  the  Huguenot  Chapel  in 
Orange  Street.  Toplady  regarded  hymn  singing  as  an 
ordinance  of  God,  "which  He  designs  eminently  to  bless  at 
this  present  day,"  and  dismissed  Romaine's  protest  against 
hymns,  of  the  year  before,  with  contempt. ^^ 

Toplady's  book  was  more  pronouncedly  Calvinistic  than 
its  predecessors.  Such  titles  as  "Original  Sin,"  "Election 
Unchangeable,"  "Electing  Grace,"  "Efficacious  Grace," 
"Imputed  Righteousness,"  "Preserving  Grace,"  and  "Assur- 
ance of  Faith,"  show  that  the  "Five  Points"  were  care- 
fully illustrated.  In  1770,  and  the  years  following,  the 
Calvinistic  Controversy  had  reached  its  crisis,  and  none  had 
contributed  more  to  its  heat  and  bitterness  than  Toplady. 
The  separation  of  the  two  parties  was  final,  and  his  hymn 
book  expressed  his  conviction^"  that  the  Church  of  England 
belonged  on  the  Calvinistic  side.  In  view  of  the  extreme 
virulence  of  his  attacks  upon  Wesley,  Toplady's  inclusion 
of  a  number  of  Wesleyan  hymns  is  noteworthy.  Unlike 
most  of  his  contemporaries,  Toplady  must  have  identified 
the  authorship  of  these  hymns  i"*^  and  it  is  to  be  added  that 

^''Preface. 

"  "What  absurdity  is  there,  for  which  some  well-meaning  people 
have  not  contended?"  Ibid. 

^'Historic  Proof  of  the  doctrinal  Calvitiisni  of  the  Church  of  England 
(1774). 

^^It  is  quite  certain  that  the  editor  of  Toplady's  Works  could  not 
distinguish  even  Toplady's  hymns  from  those  of  the  Wesleys.  He 
prints  "Christ  whose  glory  fills  the  skies"  and  "Father,  I  want  a  thank- 
ful heart,"  as  Toplady's  (vol.  vi  [1794],  pp.  420,  428).  This  act  of 
Row's  is  the  sole  basis  for  the  charge  that  Toplady  appropriated  as  his 
own  some  of  Charles  Wesley's  hymns  (David  Creamer,  Methodist 
Hymnology,  N.  Y.,  1848,  pp.  45-47).  Row  in  his  turn  is  accused  of 
printing  some  of  Toplady's  hymns  as  his  own  (Gadsby,  Hymn  Writers, 
4th  ed.,  1870,  p.  157). 


334  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

he  carefully  altered  the  text  of  such  as  he  used.^*  And 
here,  for  the  first  time  in  a  hymn  book,  "Rock  of  Ages" 
and  "Jesu,  Lover  of  my  Soul,"  stand  side  by  side. 

Even  more  unexpected,  in  view  of  the  history  of  the 
Evangelical  Party,  is  the  aesthetic  motive  in  Toplady's  book. 
"God,"  so  the  preface  opens,  "is  the  God  of  Truth,  of  Holi- 
ness, and  of  Elegance.  Whoever,  therefore,  has  the  honor 
to  compose,  or  to  compile,  anything  that  may  constitute  a 
part  of  his  worship,  should  keep  those  three  particulars, 
constantly,  in  view."  If  only  these  quaint  words  could  have 
been  taken  to  heart  by  the  Evangelical  Party,  Toplady's 
hymn  book  would  not  only  have  put  into  circulation  the 
greatest  English  hymn,  but  would  have  prevented  that  per- 
verse ignoring  of  the  aesthetic  side  of  human  nature  which 
proved  so  serious  a  barrier  to  the  spread  of  evangelical  reli- 
gion, and  palliated  the  excesses  of  the  Oxford  Revival  in 
the  century  following. 

Toplady  did  not  live  to  reprint  his  hymn  book.  A  second 
edition,  somewhat  modified,  appeared  in  1787,  edited  by  his 
friend  Walter  Row.  For  this  there  continued  a  demand 
sufficient  to  keep  it  in  print  during  the  first  quarter  of  the 
XlXth  century. 

Toplady  included  only  six  of  his  own  hymns'*^  in  his 
Psalms  and  Hymns,  though  he  had  been  a  hymn  writer 
from  his  youth.'**'  The  larger  number  of  his  hymns  ap- 
peared at  Dublin  in  1759  as  Poems  on  sacred  subjects,  and 
portray  the  stress  of  thought  and  feeling  that  accompanied 
his  transition  to  Calvinistic  views.  Long  afterward  he 
printed  26  hymns   in   The   Gospel  Magazine, '^'^   and   five 

^^E.  g.  in  "Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow,"  the  Wesleyan  "The  all-atoning 
Lamb"  becomes  "The  sin-atoning  Lamb." 

^°They  were  "Holy  Ghost,  dispel  our  sadness";  "A  debtor  to  Mercy 
alone";  "Thou  fountain  of  bliss";  "Rock  of  Ages";  "What  tho'  my 
frail  eye-lids  refuse";  and  "How  happy  are  we." 

^"See  Wright,  Augustus  M.  Toplady,  p.  23. 

"In  1771,  1772,  1774,  1776.  "Rock  of  Ages"  appeared  in  March, 
1776.  There  is  a  complete  list  in  Wright,  p.  100.  The  Gospel  Maga- 
zine, the  source  of  so  many  evangelical  hymns,  ran  from  1766  to  1772, 
and  was  revived  in  1774.    Toplady  became  its  editor  at  the  end  of  1775. 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL   335 

others  are  traceable.  Toplady's  hymns  have  been  widely 
appreciated  and  largely  used.  In  Dcnham's  Selection  (Bap- 
tist), a  considerable  body  of  them  is  still  available,  but  on 
the  whole  the  number  in  actual  use  is  constantly  diminishing. 
His  polemic  hymns  have  died  a  natural  death :  his  deep  and 
sincere  hymns  of  Christian  experience  invite  a  sympathetic 
reading  rather  than  a  congregational  employment :  and  the 
conviction  can  hardly  be  resisted  that  his  poetic  inspiration 
and  even  metrical  method  were  borrowed  from  Charles 
Wesley.  His  "Rock  of  Ages"  isolates  itself  from  the  body 
of  his  work  in  its  impressiveness  and  usefulness,  and  main- 
tains its  place  at  the  head  of  English  hymns. 

Mention  must  also  be  made  of  the  Select  Psalms  and 
Hymns  of  David  Simpson  (Macclesfield,  1776;  2nd  ed., 
1780;  new  ed.  1795).  It  was  made  for  the  great  congrega- 
tion in  the  church  built  for  him  at  Macclesfield  after  the 
rector  of  the  parish  church  had  thrown  him  bodily  out  of 
his  pulpit ;  and  is  chiefly  notable  for  the  new  hymns  it  intro- 
duced and  for  the  inclusion  of  anthems. 

We  thus  have  before  us  the  first  group  of  Church  of 
England  hymn  books.  Their  dates  of  publication  cover 
only  seventeen  years,  and  they  have  much  in  common.  Gen- 
erally entitled  Psalms  and  Hymns  they  show  no  concern 
with  the  old  metrical  Psalmody.  They  are  collections  of 
hymns,  gradually  expanding  from  the  170  of  Madan  to 
the  600  and  over  of  Simpson.  The  hymns  are  thrown 
together  without  arrangement  and  without  indications  of 
their  authorship,  and  there  are  no  musical  notes  or  sugges- 
tions. From  the  prefaces  we  may  infer  that  Madan  stood 
alone  among  the  editors  in  giving  attention  to  the  musical 
side.  In  the  body  of  hymns  also,  there  was  much  that  was 
common  to  the  books.  Watts,  and  to  a  less  degree  the 
Wesleys  and  Joseph  Hart,  furnished  a  nucleus  and  a  con- 
siderable share  of  their  contents.  Watts'  followers,  espe- 
cially Doddridge  and  the  new  Baptist  hymn  writers,  were 
drawn  upon;  and  also  the  group  more  or  less  affiliated  with 
Whitefield  or  using  The  Gospel  Magazine  as  their  medium 


336  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

of  publication.  Of  the  editors  themselves,  only  Toplad)^  and 
Berridge  contributed  hymns  of  note,  but  Newton  and 
Cowper  offered  their  first-fruits. 

The  group  of  hymn  books  shows  a  very  determined  pur- 
pose to  introduce  hymn  singing  and  great  activity  in 
providing  materials  for  it.  They  do  not  of  course  represent 
the  Church  but  a  small  party  within  it.  The  new  movement 
was  an  intrusion  of  the  outside  Revival  forces.  The 
Hymnody  showed  its  revival  origin  and  character  in  the 
evangelistic  note,  in  its  concern  with  experimental  religion, 
and  its  warmth  amid  chilling  surroundings ;  and  once  within 
the  dikes,  revealed  it  yet  further  by  its  obliviousness  of 
principles  and  practices  distinguishing  church  from  dissent, 
and  its  subordination  of  the  sacramental  side  of  religion. 
Inspired  as  it  was  by  a  Calvinistic  movement  the  Hymnody 
was  inevitably  consistent  with  Calvinism.  This  showed 
itself  negatively  in  its  omissions  or  alterations  of  Methodist 
hymns.  Positively  it  was  in  general  content  to  express  a 
deep  sense  of  sin,  an  entire  dependence  on  God  for  deliver- 
ance and  the  discovery  of  his  method  in  Scripture.  With 
Toplady  came  more  of  the  terminology  and  specific  state- 
ments of  Calvinism.  It  is  from  this  adhesion  to  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Revival  rather  than  of  the  Church  of  England 
that  these  early  hymn  books  derive  their  larger  import; 
for  they  helped  to  establish  the  foundations  of  an  Evan- 
gelical Hymnody  not  only  within  but  beyond  the  Church 
of  England. 

2.     "Olney  Hymns"   (1779)   Fills  Out  the  Type  of 
The  Evangelical  Hymn 

In  line  with  the  earlier  Evangelical  hymn  books,  but  an 
event  important  enough  to  stand  alone,  came  the  publication 
in  1779  by  John  Newton,  then  curate  of  Olney,  of  280 
of  his  own  hymns  and  68  of  his  friend  William  Cowper, 
under  the  title  of  Olney  Hymns  in  three  Books.  Book  I. 
On  select  texts  of  Scripture.  Book  II.  On  occasional  sub- 
jects.    Book  III.     On  the  progress  and  changes  of  the 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL   337 

spiritual  life  (London:  W.  Oliver,  1779).  Both  men  had 
contributed  hymns  to  The  Gospel  Magazine,  and  to  one  or 
other  of  the  EvangeHcal  hymn  books.  Newton  had  ap- 
pended eighteen  pages  of  "Hymns,  &c."  to  his  Twenty-six 
Letters  on  religious  subjects  of  1774.*^  As  early  as  1771 
Newton  proposed  to  Cowper  that  they  jointly  compose  a 
volume  of  hymns,  partly  from  "a  desire  of  promoting  the 
faith  and  comfort  of  sincere  Christians,"  partly  "as  a  monu- 
ment to  perpetuate  the  remembrance  of  an  intimate  and 
endeared  friendship. "^^  Before  the  work  had  proceeded 
far,  Cowper  was  prostrated  by  brain  trouble,  and  Newton 
ultimately  completed  it  alone. 

The  hymns  were  conceived  in  the  very  spirit  of  their 
time  and  surroundings.  From  them  we  could  reconstruct 
the  actual  working  of  the  Revival  in  an  English  parish 
under  Evangelical  leadership ;  and  they  may  be  regarded  as 
bringing  the  Hymnody  of  the  Evangelical  Revival  to  a  close. 
In  them  the  offices  of  the  Prayer  Book  yield  to  the  sermon, 
the  church  year  is  superseded  by  the  civil,  the  sacraments 
are  subordinated,  and  the  Revival  method  expresses  itself  in 
the  evangelical  theology,  the  strenuous  activity  in  the  sphere 
of  individual  emotion,  the  didactic  element  employed  to 
instruct  and  edify  the  simple  believer,  and  the  expository 
dealings  with  Scripture.  Many  of  the  hymns  had  been 
actually  a  part  of  the  revival  services  at  Olney,  being  written 
for  special  occasions,  or  to  be  sung  after  some  special  appeal 
from  the  pulpit,  or  to  be  made  the  theme  of  an  exposition 
by  Newton  in  the  prayer  meetings  held  at  the  Great  House.^*^ 

In  the  making  of  these  hymns  Cowper,  as  long  as  he  v.as 
able,  wrought  with  the  feeling  and  craftmanship  of  a  true 
poet,  and  clothed  them  with  the  tender  charm  of  his  own 
spirit.     Newton  poured  into  them  the  pulsing  life  of  an 

^^Including  Cowper's  "God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way,"  and  his  own 
"While  with  ceaseless  course"  and  "I  asked  the  Lord." 

*°Preface,  p.  vi. 

^°E.  g.  (Diary,  Dec.  6,  1772)  "Expounded  my  new  hymn  at  the 
Great  House  on  the  subject  of  a  burdened  sinner."  Josiah  Bull,  John 
Newton,  London,  n.  d.,  p.  183. 


338  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

intense  and  commanding  personality,  and  proved  himself 
capable  at  his  best  of  producing  great  hymns.  When  his 
inspiration  failed  it  was  like  him  to  have  "done  his  best"  to 
fill  the  spaces  left  by  his  friend's  silence.  And  even  when 
most  prosaic  and  homiletical  Newton's  work  has  the  quality 
of  being  alive  and  the  gift  of  appealing  to  other  minds. 
Indeed  the  Olney  Hymns  are  to  be  taken  as  a  whole,^^  and 
measured  by  the  unity  of  the  impression  they  created.  Their 
appeal  was  immediate,  and  to  an  unusual  degree  permanent. 
Even  in  our  own  day,  Faber,  the  Roman  Catholic  hymn 
writer,  speaks  of  their  "acting  like  a  spell  upon  him  for 
years,  strong  enough  to  be  for  long  a  counter-influence  to 
very  grave  convictions,  and  even  now  to  come  back  from 
time  to  time  unbidden  into  the  mind."^- 
•  This  influence  of  Olncy  Hymns,  securing  for  it  so  many 
reprintings^'^  and  so  wide  a  circulation,  was  much  more 
than  that  of  a  hymn  book.  In  form  the  book  was  available 
for  congregational  use  (being  arranged  precisely  as  Watts' 
Hymns  had  been),  though  some  of  its  materials  were  not 
suitable.  To  what  extent  it  was  so  employed  is  not  now 
discoverable.  But  it  furnished  many  with  their  favorite 
songs  and  devotional  reading.  It  played  a  part  among 
Evangelicals  akin  to  that  of  Wesley's  Collection  of  the 
following  year  among  Methodists.  It  became  a  people's 
manual  of  evangelical  doctrine  and  an  instrument  of  spirit- 
ual discipline. 

But  the  place  of  its  hymns  in  Hymnody  itself  is  a  very 
considerable  one.  They  were  inevitably  recognized  as  a 
very  notable  accession  to  the  store  available  for  Evangelical 

"The  best  study  of  the  Olney  Hyunis  is  Montgomery's  "Introductory 
Essay,"  written  for  Collins'  Glasgow  ed.,  and  often  reprinted.  In  his 
contentment  with  Cowper's  poetic  grace,  Montgomery  perhaps  over- 
looks  something  of   Newton's  bluff  virility. 

"Frederick  Wm.  Faber,  Hymns,  preface  to  ed.  of  1861. 

^^3rd  ed.,  1783 ;  Qth,  1810.  It  was  kept  in  print  during  most,  if  not 
all,  of  the  XlXth  century.  The  numerous  American  reprints  seem  to 
have  begun  in  New  York  in  1787  (Evans'  American  Bibliography,  vol. 
vii,  item  20588). 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL   339 

use.  They  began  at  once  to  furnish  materials  for  the  hymn 
books.  The  proportion  of  them  that  became  famihar  and 
endeared  to  various  denominations  is  surprisingly  large.  In 
the  Church  of  England  a  number  won  a  place  from  which 
even  the  reconstructions  of  the  Oxford  Revival  have  been 
unable  to  dislodge  them.^"*  At  the  lowest  estimate  six 
must  be  accorded  a  classical  position:  three  of  Cowper's 
— "Hark  my  soul !  it  is  the  Lord,"  "Oh !  for  a  closer  walk 
with  God,"  "God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way,"  and  three  of 
Newton's — "Come,  my  soul,  thy  suit  prepare,"  "Glorious 
things  of  thee  are  spoken,"  "How  sweet  the  name  of  Jesus 
sounds." 

Olney  Hymns  exercised  also  a  decided  influence  upon  the 
evangelical  ideal  of  the  Hymn,  not  so  much  in  the  way  of 
modifying  as  in  the  way  of  confirming  and  deepening  it. 
Like  Charles  Wesley's  it  was  an  influence  favoring  the  use 
of  hymns  as  an  expression  of  the  most  private  experience, 
and  like  his  again,  Newton's  method  was  autobiographical. 
If  indeed  he  intended  all  his  hymns  for  public  use,  he  was 
careless  of  Whitefield's  dictum  that  congregational  hymns 
should  confine  themselves  to  sentiments  common  to  the 
singers.  This  inward-looking  of  "the  old  blasphemer" 
begat  intense  remorse  and  measureless  self-contempt,  and 
made  the  Hymn  of  Experience  an  instrument  of  self- 
reproach.  In  the  same  way  Cowper's  dreadful  depression, 
and  Newton's  sympathy  with  him,  tinged  Olncy  Hymns  at 
times  with  the  shadow  of  the  cloud  hiding  the  divine 
Presence.  It  can  hardly  be  denied  that  the  indiscriminate 
use  of  such  materials  by  congregations  introduced  an 
element  of  unreality  and  morbidness  into  Evangelical 
Hymnody,  from  which  it  was  slow  to  recover.  On  the 
other  hand,  Newton's  perfect  faith  in  the  salvation  offered, 
his  glorying  in  its  efficacy,  his  wonder  at  its  grace,  the  tender 
note  of  his  love  for  the  Saviour,  the  exultation  of  his 
triumphant  faith; — all  these  things  entered  into  the  warp 

"In  the  latest  edition  of  Hymns  ancient  and  modern  there  are  six 
by  Newton  and  seven  by  Cowper. 


340  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

and  woof  of  the  Evangelical  Hymnody,  and  Newton's  close 
relating  of  personal  experience  with  the  truths  and  narra- 
tives of  Scripture  became  preeminently  the  accepted  method 
of  that  Hymnody.  Any  who  were  brought  up  in  some  one 
of  the  evangelical  churches,  in  the  period  after  Watts' 
domination  had  passed,  are  likely  to  recall  a  number  of 
Newton's  hymns,  a  few  of  Cowper's  also,  as  inevitably  asso- 
ciated with  the  gospel  there  proclaimed  and  the  type  of 
religion  there  practised. 

3.     Movements  to   Introduce   Hymns   in   the   Main 
Body  of  the  Church   (1724-1816) 

Olney  Hymns  marks  a  point  of  transition  in  Church  of 
England  Hymnody.  It  was  the  last  of  a  group  of  books 
bringing  the  Evangelical  Hymnody  into  the  Church  without 
remoulding  or  even  rearranging  it  into  accommodation 
with  the  Prayer  Book  system  of  parochial  worship.  It  was 
to  be  followed  by  a  group  of  books,  still  Evangelical,  that 
aimed  to  adapt  the  new  Hymnody  to  the  methods  and  man- 
ners of  the  Church. 

The  point  is  thus  a  convenient  one  at  which  to  turn  from 
the  small  Evangelical  Party  to  the  main  body  of  the  Church 
where  Psalm  singing  prevailed  and  the  Prayer  Book  system 
was  unimpaired  by  revival  influences  outside,  in  order  to 
discover  what  progress  had  been  made  there  in  introducing 
the  singing  of  hymns. 

In  this  main  body  there  was  no  unity  of  feeling  or  pur- 
pose in  regard  to  the  use  of  hymns  in  public  worship. 

(i)  There  were  first  the  stand-fasts,  who  through  the 
entire  XVIIIth  century  maintained  the  position  Bishop 
Beveridge  had  taken  at  its  beginning,  that  the  good  estate 
of  the  Church  was  bound  up  with  the  continued  use  of  the 
Sternhold  and  Hopkins  version  of  the  Psalms,  and  that  the 
traditional  method  of  singing  them  need  not  be  disturbed. 
Outside  of  the  Church  Watts  had  successfully  attacked 
the  divine  prescription  of  the  Psalms,  and  the  hymns  of 
himself  and  his  school  had  largely  displaced  them  in  Non- 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL   341 

conformist  use.  At  the  borders  of  the  Church  the  Wesleys 
had  disregarded  Psahnody  and  instituted  a  popular  Hym- 
nody  of  feehng  and  experience.  All  these  changes  tended 
to  strengthen  the  position  of  the  Metrical  Psalm  in  the 
minds  of  the  conservative  and  stiff  churchmen,  and  led 
them  to  constitute  themselves  special  guardians  of  that 
Metrical  Psalm,  originally  the  creation  and  the  badge  of 
Geneva.  Psalmody  had  come  to  seem  to  them  a  charac- 
teristic part  of  the  Prayer  Book  system  and  the  hymns  a 
menace.  The  more  widely  Watts'  hymns  spread,  and  the 
more  fervid  the  Methodist  Song  grew,  the  more  obvious 
it  became  that  the  Hymn  was  stamped  with  the  hall-mark 
of  dissent  and,  even  worse,  of  "enthusiasm."  The  prejudice 
against  hymns  in  churchly  circles  grew  very  strong.  Dr. 
Samuel  Johnson  plumed  himself  for  having  let  it  yield  to 
a  charitable  impulse. ^^ 

(2)  There  w^ere  the  less  extreme  conservatives,  just  as 
anxious  to  maintain  the  old  Psalmody,  but  who  lamented 
the  prevailing  apathy  fallen  on  the  ordinance,  and  saw  the 
force  of  the  demand  for  hymns  suitable  for  holy  days  and 
occasions.  Bishop  Gibson  had  suggested  the  remedy  in  his 
Directions  given  to  the  clergy  (1724)  on  his  translation  to 
London.  He  urged  the  great  need  of  a  better  and  heartier 
musical  performance  and  laid  out  a  "Course  of  Singing 
Psalms"  covering  the  Sundays,  Christmas,  Easter,  Whit- 
sunday, and  some  church  occasions.  The  expedient  was  a 
good  one  and  somewhat  widely  adopted;  but  it  was  also 
quickly  appropriated  by  the  advocates  of  hymns.  In  1734 
"R.  W."  printed  at  Nottingham  The  excellent  use  of 
Psalmody,  with  a  course  of  Singing  Psalms  for  half  a  year, 
adding  an  appendix  of  twenty-eight  hymns  for  the 
festivals,  the  Communion,  morning  and  evening,  midnight, 
and  funerals.  Still  later  the  Rivingtons  reissued  The  excel- 
lent use,  bound  up  with  their  tractate  of  (12)  Divine  Hymns 
and  Hymns  taken  from  the  Supplement  to  Tate  and  Brady's 
Psalms. 

"See  preface. 


342  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

In  this  group  of  conservatives  Romaine  belonged,  as  has 
appeared,  and  although  foremost  in  adopting  the  theology 
of  the  Revival,  was  more  strenuous  than  most  in  resisting 
its  Hymnody.  His  A  Collection  out  of  the  Book  of  Psalms, 
suited  to  every  Sunday  in  the  year  (London,  1775),  shows 
by  its  title  that  he  followed  Bishop  Gibson's  lead,  but  he 
went  a  step  farther  by  adding  notes  on  the  evangelical  inter- 
pretation of  various  Psalms.  To  us  who  look  back  it  seems 
very  plain  that  the  addition  of  evangelical  annotations  to 
the  "Singing  Psalms"  could  not  stay  the  intrusion  of  a 
pronouncedly  evangelical  Hymnody,  any  more  than  the 
appropriation  of  Psalms  to  Christian  festivals  could  illus- 
trate their  full  significance. 

(3)  There  were  those,  and  perhaps  Romaine  had  no 
quarrel  with  them,  who  were  fully  persuaded  that  hymns 
had  a  real  function  in  the  Christian  life,  and  favored  their 
use  provided  only  they  were  not  introduced  into  the  stated 
church  services.  As  early  as  1727  there  appeared  A  Collec- 
tion of  Psalms,  and  Divine  Hymns,  suited  to  the  great 
festivals  of  the  Church,  for  morning  and  evening,  and  other 
occasions  (London;  J.  Downing,  1727).  It  was  in  all 
respects  a  hymn  book,  with  the  hymns  numbered  for  use, 
and  included  "a  Table  of  Psalms  on  practical  subjects, 
which  may  be  of  use  to  Parish-Clarks."^'''  Notwithstanding 
this  suggestive  reference  (on  the  title-page)  to  parish  clerks, 
the  preface  opens  with  the  declaration :  "I  have  no  thought 
of  proposing  the  Use  of  any  Part  of  this  Collection  in  the 
Publick  Service.''  Of  hymn  books,  however,  as  of  greater 
ventures,  it  is  true  that  man  proposes  and  Providence  dis- 
poses. And  it  is  not  unlikely  that  some  parish  clerks  who 
consulted  the  Table  were  tempted  to  line  out  the  Hymns. 
The  few  psalms  in  this  book  were  from  Denham  and  Pat- 
rick.    The  hymns  constituting  the  majority  of  its   forty- 

^"This  apparently  unnoticed  book  preceded  by  ten  years  John  Wes- 
ley's Charleston  Collection,  which  Dr.  Julian  calls  "the  first  hymn- 
book  compiled  for  use  in  the  Church  of  England."  Dictionary  of 
Hymnology,  p.  2)i^- 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL  343 

nine  pieces  "were  collected  from  several  Books,  some  of 
which  are  not  easy  to  be  met  with."  The  little  book  was 
published  cheaply  for  general  distribution  and  for  binding 
up  with  others  of  like  size  in  a  series  printed  by  Downing 
"for  promoting  Christian  knowledge  and  Practice."  The 
practical  effect  of  this  book  and  others  like  it  was  undoubt- 
edly to  familiarize  hymn  singing. 

In  this  group  we  may  include  also  the  "Religious  So- 
cieties," whose  origin  dates  back  to  the  last  quarter  of  the 
XVIIth  century  and  which  survived  to  play  a  part  in  the 
Revival  under  Wesley  and  Whitefield.  That  formed  at 
Romney,  Kent,  in  1690,  had  its  own  hymn  book  as  early 
as  1724:  The  Christian  Sacrifice  of  Praises,  consisting  of 
select  Psalms  and  Hymns,  zvith  doxologies  and  proper  tunes. 
For  the  use  of  the  Religious  Society  of  Romney.  Collected 
by  the  author  of  the  Christian's  Daily  Manual.  London: 
printed  by  William  Pearson,  for  John  Wyat,  at  the  Rose 
in  St.  Paul's  Church-Yard,  1724.  This  recently  recovered 
volume  has  41  Psalm  versions,  with  27  hymns  selected  from 
Austin,  Playford,  Patrick,  and  the  Supplement  to  the  New 
Version.  It  was  no  doubt  prepared  for  use  apart  from 
the  church  service,  but  the  custom  of  attending  Preparation 
Sermons  and  Communion  in  churches^^  suggests  another 
possible  avenue  through  which  hymn  singing  entered  the 
parish  churches. 

(4)  There  was  also  in  the  main  body  of  the  Church  a 
constantly  growing  party  of  progress  in  Psalmod}^,  whose 
plans  for  its  improvement  included  some  use  of  hymns,^^ 
and  whose  efforts  it  will  be  convenient  to  distinguish  as  two 
parallel  movements. 

One  of  these  was  plainly  suggested  by  the  new  and  hearty 
hymn  singing  of  the  Revival,  and  took  shape  in  the  culti- 
vation of  music  in  several  of  the  charitable  institutions  of 
London.     To  furnish  suitable  tunes  especially,  a  series  of 

"G.  V.  Portus,  Caritas  Anglicana  (an  inquiry  into  Religious 
Societies)  London,  1912,  p.  17. 

'^But  not  particularly  the  hymns  of  the  Evangelical  movement. 


344  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

books  was  published  in  which  "Psahns,  H3anns  and 
Anthems"  were  printed  with  equal  freedom.  Such  an  use 
of  hymns  is  partly  explained  by  the  "Charity  Hymns"  and 
those  written  to  grace  special  occasions  in  these  institutions. 
In  the  case  of  the  Lock  Hospital,  the  musical  movement 
coincided  with  the  Evangelical.  Its  chapel  was  used  not 
only  by  its  inmates,  but  by  a  strongly  contrasting  West  End 
Evangelical  congregation  who  rented  sittings.^*^  The  hymn 
book  and  tune  book  prepared  for  their  common  use  by 
Martin  Madan  have  already  been  noted. 

At  the  "Asylum  or  Llouse  of  Refuge  for  Female  Or- 
phans" at  Westminster  Bridge,  the  improvement  of  its 
music  under  William  Riley  took  the  form  of  antagonism 
to  the  tunes  made  popular  by  the  Revival.  His  Parochial 
Music  corrected  ( i  ySz )  dwelt  especially  on  the  light  f ugu- 
ing  tunes  of  the  "Methodists,"  which  were  creeping  into 
the  Church  through  the  "Lectureships"  in  parish  churches 
that  gave  Evangelicals  their  opportunity.  Nevertheless  here 
as  elsewhere  the  use  of  hymns  followed  musical  improve- 
ment. Riley's  Psalms,  and  Hymns  for  the  Chapel  of  the 
Asylum  or  House  of  Refuge  for  Female  Orphans  (n.  d. ; 
after  1762)  included  the  words  of  the  hymns.^"  For  the 
Foundling  Hospital  a  series  of  books  was  published,  begin- 
ning with  Psalms,  Hymns  and  Anthems  used  in  the  Chapel 
of  the  Hospital  for  the  Maintenance  and  Education  of  Ex- 
posed and  Deserted  Young  Children  (1774).  It  contained 
sixteen  hymns,  including  some  of  Addison's  and  which  by 
1796  had  increased  to  twenty-two.     One  of  the  Foundling 

''"Balleine,  The  Evangelical  Party,  p.  61. 

""Rev.  Jacob  Duche,  the  refugee  rector  of  Christ  Church,  Phila- 
delphia, became  chaplain  of  the  Asylum  in  1782  (C.  Higham  in  New 
Church  Magazine,  London,  Sept.  1896,  p.  461).  He  is  said  to  have 
edited  the  editions  of  1785  and  1789  (W.  T.  Brooke  in  Morning  Light, 
Nov.  16,  1895)  ;  and  is  credited  with  the  authorship  of  three  of  the 
Asylum  hymns  (New  Ch.  Maga.  lit  supra,  pp.  464,  465).  Duche 
preached  Swedenborgian  views,  and  one  of  these  hymns  appears  in 
New  Church  hymnals  up  to  the  present  day  (Hymns  for  use  of  the 
New  Church,  London,  1881,  No.  575:  "Come,  love  Divine!  thy  power 
impart.") 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL  345 

hymns,  often  appearing  as  a  leaflet  pasted  in  at  the  end  of 
the  1796  edition,  was  our  familiar  "Praise  the  Lord!  ye 
heavens  adore  Him."  For  the  Magdalen  Hospital  five 
separate  collections  were  printed,  beginning  with  The 
Hymns  Anthems  and  Tunes  with  the  Ode  used  at  the  Mag- 
dalen Chapel  (n.  d.).  This  contains  twenty-seven  hymns 
by  Ken,  Addison,  Doddridge  and  others,  including  a  version 
of  Dies  Irae.  This  was  followed  by  A  second  Collection  of 
Psalms  and  Hymns f^  A  third,  and  A  fourth  Collection 
of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  the  Magdalen  Chapel.  These  were 
afterward  rearranged  as  a  single  volume. 

The  singing  of  the  inmates  became  a  marked  feature  of 
the  life  of  these  institutions  and  something  like  a  feature  of 
London  life  itself;  drawing  the  general  public  to  the  chapel 
services  and  to  the  united  service  held  annually  in  one  of  the 
churches  and  later  in  St.  Paul's.  "Charity  children"  were, 
moreover,  commonly  distributed  among  the  parish  churches, 
to  act  as  a  choir,  taking  their  hymns  with  them.  In  this 
way  they  did  much  toward  making  hymn  singing  familiar 
and  popular;  just  as  in  our  own  day  the  Sunday  schools, 
coming  into  the  churches  with  their  liturgical  services,  have 
so  widely  affected  the  ordinary  worship  of  non-liturgical 

churches. 

(5)  The  other  section  of  the  progressive  element  was  less 
free  in  its  ways.  It  was  more  or  less  interested  in  musical 
improvement :  the  desired  improvement  in  the  subject  matter 
of  Psalmody  it  had  found  by  introducing  Tate  and  Brady's 
New  Version  (1696)  into  its  parish  churches.  It  was  not 
interested  in  the  Revival  Hymnody  nor  in  the  hymn  books 
of  the  Evangelicals,  but  favored  supplementing  the  psalms 
with  a  few  hymns  for  festivals  and  other  church  occasions. 
We  have  already  described^^^  ^h^  g^rly  embodiment  of  such 
desire  in  the  Supplement  to  the  New  Version,  first  printed 

"^There  is  suggestiveness  in  the  advertisement  it  carries  of  its 
publisher's  shop :  "Where  also  may  be  had,  Six  favourite  Hymns  used 
at  the  Tabernacles  of  the  Rev.  Mess.  Whitcfidd  and  Wesley." 

"See  chap.  ii. 


346  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

in  1700,  with  its  paraphrases  of  canticles  and  six  other 
hymns  increased  to  nine  in  1 708. 

In  1741  John  Arnold  of  Great  Warley,  Essex,  printed  a 
setting  of  the  psalms,  in  the  Playford  fashion,  as  The  Com- 
pleat  Psalmodist.  In  four  books:  the  fourth  being  "A  Select 
Number  of  Divine  Hymns  on  various  occasions,"  mostly 
the  festivals  and  Good  Friday.  He  included  one  each  from 
Ken  and  Watts  and  two  from  the  Tate  and  Brady  Supple- 
ment, and  sixteen  less  familiar.  Most  of  the  hymns  were 
de  trop,  and  were  dropped  out  of  later  editions,  but  one, 
"Jesus  Christ  is  ris'n  to-day,"  ultimately  attached  itself  to 
the  New  Version.  It  was  partly  taken  (like  its  stirring 
tune)  from  the  earlier  Lyra  Davidica:  a  Collection  of 
Divine  songs  and  Hymns  (London,  1708)  :  a  book  from 
an  unknown  hand,  notable  as  an  early  attempt  to  interest 
English  people  in  the  "divine  songs"  and  "pleasant  tunes" 
of  the  Germans. 

The  Supplement  itself  was  kept  in  print,  and  copies  of 
Tate  and  Brady  bearing  dates  up  to  the  middle  of  the 
century  occur  with  the  Supplement  bound  in.  Its  hymns 
were  not  therefore  lost  to  sight;  but  the  usual  surviving 
copies  of  like  dates  have  no  hymns.  We  may  infer  that 
many  parishes  using  Tate  and  Brady  grew  disposed  to  rest 
satisfied  with  the  good  qualities  of  the  psalms  themselves. 

During  the  last  quarter  of  the  century  there  came  some 
change  in  the  situation.  A  disposition  showed  itself  in  what 
we  may  call  Tate  and  Brady  circles  to  make  more  use  of 
the  hymns  in  the  Supplement,  and  to  facilitate  such  use 
by  attaching  them  to  the  printed  Psalters.  The  Rivingtons 
issued  in  1779  a  small  tractate  entitled  Hymns  taken  from 
the  Supplement  to  Tate  and  Brady's  Psalter,  and  an  undated 
copy  of  the  same  has  turned  up  which  is  thought  to  be 
earlier.®^  This  tractate  was  intended  to  be  inserted  or  bound 
in  current  copies  of  Tate  and  Brady.  In  a  London  trade 
edition  of  Tate  and  Brady  of  1780,  four  hymns  selected 

''Catalogue  of  Charles  Higham  &  Son,  London,  No.  503,  October, 
191 1,  item  1950. 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL  347 

from  the  Supplement  appear  printed  at  the  end  of  the 
psahiis,  following  the  Gloria  Patri,  with  separate  pagination, 
and  headed  simply  as  HYMNS.    They  are  : 

Come,  Holy  Ghost,  Creator,  come. 

While  Shepherds  watch'd  their  flocks  by  Night. 

Since   Christ,  our   Passover,   is   slain. 

Christ  from  the  Dead  is  rais'd,  and  made. 

In  a  Cambridge  Press  edition  of  1782  a  new  selection  of 
hymns  is  printed  at  the  end  of  the  psalms,  reflecting  some- 
thing of  the  current  Hymnody,  and  including  only  one  hymn 
from  the  Supplement.  They  are  : 

High  let  us  swell  our  tuneful  notes   (Doddridge). 

Hark!  the  herald  angels  sing   (Wesley). 

Christ  from  the  dead  is  rais'd,  and  made   (Tate  and  Brady). 

My  God,  and  is  thy  table  spread   (Doddridge). 

Awake,  my  soul,  and  with  the  sun   (Ken). 

In  London  trade  editions  of  1790  and  1792  all  the  above 
hymns  are  printed,  except  "While  Shepherds  watch'd."  In 
another  London  trade  edition  of  1790  are  the  four  hymns 
of  1780,  with  Ken's  Morning  and  Evening  Hymns  on 
printed  slips  pasted  in.  The  latter,  and  the  Easter  Hymn, 
"Jesus  Christ  is  ris'n  to-day,"  also  appear  on  printed  slips 
pasted  in  University  Press  editions.  Thenceforward  it  be- 
came the  rule  to  print  a  group  of  hymns  after  the  psalms 
as  though  a  constituent  part  of  the  Psalter,  and  this  con- 
tinued so  long  as  the  Nezv  Version  was  kept  in  print.  By 
the  beginning  of  the  XlXth  century  the  Clarendon  Press 
had  its  distinctive  selection  consisting  of  fifteen  of  the  six- 
teen hymns*^^  and  metrical  canticles  of  the  Supplement  of 
1700,  with  "O  Lord,  turn  not  Thy  face  away"  from  the 
Appendix  to  the  Old  Version,  and  the  four  hymns  from  the 
Cambridge  edition  of  1782,  The  Cambridge  Press  selection 
differed  by  including  all  sixteen  of  the  Supplement  hymns, 
and  by  adding  (from  about  1816)  "Jesus  Christ  is  ris'n 
to-day"  and  Ken's  Evening  Hymn;  but  some  copies  from 
the  Cambridge  Press  had  a  smaller  selection. 

These  facts  and  dates  are  fitted  to  correct  some  current 
"The  Commandments,  "God  spake  these  words,"  being  omitted. 


348  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

impressions  of  the  hymns  appended  to  Tate  and  Brady's 
New  Version.  It  has  been  a  sort  of  fashion  to  regard  them 
as  something  neghgible  in  the  history  of  Church  of  Eng- 
land Hymnody.  It  is  assumed  that  they  owe  their  place  to 
the  mere  whim  of  the  printer,  and  that  their  consequent 
introduction  into  worship  was  quite  fortuitous  and  even 
humorous.  This  familiar  assumption  appears  to  find  its 
only  support  in  a  surmise  of  Charles  B.  Pearson,  who,  in 
an  essay  on  "Hymns  and  Hymn-writers,"  says : 

"The  introduction  of  hymns  for  Christian  seasons  in  particular  ser- 
vices is  due,  probably,  to  'the  stationers'  before  the  Revolution,  and  to 
the  University  printers  in  modern  times,  more  particularly  to  one  of  the 
latter  about  half  a  century  back,  who,  being  a  Dissenter,  thought  fit  to 
fill  up  the  blank  leaves  at  the  end  of  the  Prayer-book  with  hymns  sug- 
gested by  himself, — a  liberty  to  which,  apparently,  no  objection  was 
raised  by  the  authorities  of  the  Church  at  that  day,  and  thus  'factum 
valet.' "  " 

What  the  actual  evidence  seems  to  show  is  that  the 
hymns  were  added  neither  by  dissenters  nor  by  Evan- 
gelicals, but  by  the  Prayer  Book  party  itself,  and  that  they 
were  printed  in  the  Psalters  because  they  were  already  being 
used  in  the  services,  and  with  a  view  of  avoiding  the  neces- 
sity of  inserting  the  little  booklets  and  printed  slips  con- 
taining them.  Indeed  their  significance  seems  to  lie  in  their 
direct  connection  with  the  original  Supplement  of  1700,  as 
showing  how  the  continuous  demand  of  the  churchly  yet 
progressive  element  for  a  few  liturgical  hymns  to  supple- 
ment the  psalms  kept  open  a  channel  of  its  own  digging 
for  the  introduction  of  hymn  singing  into  the  Church  of 
England. 

It  thus  appears  that  in  its  own  way  and  within  its  defined 
limits  the  Prayer  Book  party  co-operated  with  the  freer 
movements  that  were  making  a  hymn  singing  Church.  Its 
special  contribution  was  in  getting  its  hymns  printed  in  the 
Psalters  as  though  a  part  of  the  authorized  Psalmody. 
From  this  position  they  were  never  dislodged.  And  as  the 
Psalters  were  ordinarily  bound  up  with  the  Prayer  Books, 

^''Oxford  Essays,  1858. 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL  349 

the  hymns  became  for  all  practical  purposes  a  part  of  the 
Prayer  Books  themselves,  even  those  distributed  by  the 
"S.  P.  C.  K."  Whatever  the  legal  niceties  as  to  authoriza- 
tion may  have  been,  henceforward  the  opponents  of  hymn 
singing — and  they  were  many  and  bitter — were  handicapped 
by  the  presence  of  the  hymns  within  the  sacred  covers  of 
the  Prayer  Book  itself. 

4.     The  Period  of  Compromise:  "Psalms  and  Hymns" 
IN  Parish  Churches  (1785-1819) 

We  now  take  up  the  Hymnody  and  hymn  book  making 
of  the  Evangelical  Party  from  the  date  of  Olney  Hymns 
(1779).  It  was,  as  has  been  said,  the  last  of  the  earlier 
series  that  had  little  to  distinguish  them  from  the  hymn 
books  of  dissent;  and  the  conservatives  were  justified  if 
they  regarded  it  as  a  somewhat  extreme  example  of  that 
type.  Just  how  the  Evangelical  leaders  regarded  it  is 
difficult  to  estimate.  Most  of  them  probably  welcomed  it 
for  its  hymns;  none  certainly  as  the  model  for  a  church 
hymn  book.*^^  The  series  of  hymn  books  immediately  fol- 
lowing might  seem  to  indicate  a  reaction  from  the  un- 
churchly  tendencies  of  Olncy  Hymns.  But  their  altered 
complexion  in  reality  reflected  the  change  passing  over  the 
Evangelical  movement  itself.  Like  Methodism  it  had  begun 
within  the  Church  but  apart  from  the  parochial  order  and 
worship.  Its  beginnings  had  been  extra-parochial,  and  even 
to  the  end  of  the  XVIIIth  century  its  strength  lay  in 
proprietary  chapels,  endowed  lectureships  and  other  centres 
of  influence  that  had  a  measure  of  freedom.  But  with  the 
waning  of  the  century  the  movement  began  to  draw  estab- 
lished parishes  within  its  control  and  to  influence  parishes 
not  to  be  accounted  Evangelical.  The  Evangelicals  them- 
selves moderated  their  views,  sought  a  closer  conformity  to 

*°Its  publication  probably  seems  more  notable  to  us  who  look  back 
than  it  did  to  the  Evangelical  leaders  of  the  time.  Richard  Cecil,  in 
his  authorized  Memoir  of  the  Rev.  John  Newton  (ed.  H.  T.  Warren, 
Finsbury,  n.  d.,  p.  26),  makes  only  incidental  mention  of  it. 


350  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

the  order  and  manners  of  their  Church,  and  became  dis- 
posed to  affihate  more  with  the  moderate  element  of  the 
Prayer  Book  party. 

These  changes  favored  first  of  all  the  extension  of  hymn 
singing  into  the  regular  services  of  parish  churches,  and 
consequently  a  compromise  with  the  accustomed  order  of 
psalm  singing  in  those  churches,  by  which  both  psalms  and 
hymns  should  have  equal  recognition  and  use  in  parochial 
"Psalmody."  To  provide  for  this  the  new  series  of  Evan- 
gelical hymn  books  became  not  only  in  name  but  in  reality 
collections  of  "Psalms  and  Hymns." 

From  Olney  Hymns  we  pass  at  once  to  Psalms  and 
Hymns,  collected  by  William  Bromley  Cadogan  (ist  ed., 
1785:  4th,  1803),  rector  at  Chelsea  and  also  at  Reading. 
It  contains  a  complete  metrical  Psalter,  with  150  hymns 
chosen  and  arranged  in  the  earlier  manner.  There  is  a 
similar  provision  of  psalms  in  the  Psalms  and  Hymns  of 
John  Venn  (London,  1785)  and  in  Basil  Woodd's  book  of 
1794,  hereafter  to  be  described.  And,  it  may  be  added, 
Church  of  England  hymn  books  continued  to  be  "Psalms 
and  Hymns"  down  to  the  Oxford  Revival.  These  Evan- 
gelical leaders  took  as  much  pains  as  Romaine  himself  to 
provide  Psalm  versions  that  should  maintain  or  revive  an 
interest  in  psalm  singing.  One  of  them  indeed,  Richard 
Cecil,  followed  Romaine  for  a  while.  His  Psalms  of  David 
(1785)  is  confined  to  canonical  Psalms,  the  versions  drawn 
from  the  best  available  sources,  including  Addison  and 
Milton.  Not  until  1806  did  he  add  Hymns  for  the  principal 
festivals  of  the  Church  of  England.  His  collection  had 
reached  a  thirty-second  edition  by  1840.  Thomas  Robinson, 
in  the  hymn  book  made  for  his  church  at  Leicester  (before 
1790)  included  nothing  from  either  the  Old  or  Nezv  Ver- 
sions of  the  Psalms.  He  may  have  been  moved  by  associa- 
tions of  them  with  his  unwelcomed  coming  to  Leicester, 
"when  the  choir  bellowed  the  most  unsuitable  psalms  instead 
of  those  which  he  instructed  the  clerk  to  announce."*^^ 

"'Balleine,  The  Evangelical  Party,  p.  121. 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL  351 

The  conjunction  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  in  parish  worship 
did  something  to  bring  more  closely  together  the  two  main 
agencies  of  hymn  singing — the  Evangelicals,  who  cared 
most  for  hynms,  and  the  moderate  Prayer  Book  element, 
which  wished  to  retain  Psalmody  supplemented  by  hymns 
for  holy  days  and  occasions.  It  remained  for  Basil  Woodd, 
an  Evangelical  leader  of  the  second  generation, — not  a 
rector  but  preacher  and  indeed  proprietor  of  Bentinck 
Chapel,  Marylebone, — to  take  a  further  step,  and  bring  the 
two  parties  to  something  very  like  the  unity  of  a  common 
ground  in  Hymnody.  His  project  was  to  adapt  Hymnody 
to  the  Prayer  Book  system  itself.  He  conceived  the  ideal 
of  a  hymn  book  that  should  be  "the  companion  to  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer." 

The  book  in  which  Woodd  embodied  his  ideal  appeared 
at  London  in  1794  as  The  Psalms  of  Dai'id,  and  other 
portions  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  arranged  according  to 
the  order  of  the  Church  of  England,  for  every  Sunday  in  the 
year;  also  for  the  Saints'  Days,  Holy  Communion,  and  other 
services.  The  promise  of  the  title  was  scrupulously  ful- 
filled. Under  the  heading  of  each  Sunday  and  holy  day  of 
the  Christian  Year  a  metrical  psalm  was  designated  to  serve 
as  the  Introit  provided  for  in  the  rubrics  of  the  first  Prayer 
Book  of  Edward  VI.  Then  followed  one  or  more  hymns, 
adapted  to  the  Epistle  or  Gospel  or  subject  of  the  day.  The 
whole  was  followed  by  selections  of  hymns  for  Communion, 
Baptism  and  other  church  offices  and  occasions,  and  a  few 
for  general  use  in  public  worship.  The  selection  of  hymns, 
from  all  the  materials  then  available,  was  good,  and  in  later 
editions  some  originals  were  added. 

In  a  word  this  interesting  book  stamped  Hymnody  with 
the  mark  of  the  Church  rather  than  of  a  party.  It  pointed 
the  way  of  making  hymns  a  constituent  part  of  the  liturgical 
order  rather  than  a  formless  body  of  song  intruded  from 
without  under  the  Revival  impulse.  It  was  Woodd  in  1794, 
and  not  Heber  in  1809-22,  who  first  worked  out  the  ideal  of 
"A  Hymnal   Companion  to  the   Prayer  Book,"   and  thus 


352  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

anticipated  the  form  in  which  ultimately  Hymnody  came 
to  be  accepted  by  the  straitest  school  of  churchmanship  as 
an  enrichment  of  the  service. 

This  is  not  to  say  that  Woodd  set  up  a  model  at  once 
followed  by  succeeding  editors.  On  the  contrary  the  editor 
next  succeeding  was  that  uncompromising  Evangelical, 
Charles  Simeon  of  Cambridge,  who  trained  so  many  evan- 
gelical preachers  and  by  deed  of  trust  constituted  Evan- 
gelicalism as  a  distinct  denomination  within  the  bounds  of 
the  Church.  Simeon  sought  every  occasion  to  vindicate  his 
"regard  for  the  Liturgy  and  Services  of  our  Church. "^^ 
His  real  concern  was  for  the  sermon  and  for  a  Hymnody 
that  would  illustrate  its  doctrine  and  enforce  its  appeals. 
He  published  in  1795  A  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns. 
It  contained  a  much  abridged  selection  of  psalms.  Other- 
wise the  book  affiliates  in  contents  and  manner  with  the 
earlier  Evangelical  group.  Its  hymns  follow  the  subject 
of  discourse,  its  "Time  and  seasons"  are  Morning,  Eve- 
ning, Spring,  Summer,  Harvest,  and  so  forth.  Even 
Easter  and  Christmas  appear  only  in  the  table  of  contents 
and  in  this  way — "Christmas-Day ,  See  Incarnation."  As 
more  than  a  hundred  scattered  parishes  came  to  be  included 
in  "The  Simeon  Trust,"  the  use  of  his  Collection  was  wide- 
spread and  long  continued.*^^  It  thus  kept  alive  in  these 
and  doubtless  other  parishes  a  distinctly  Evangelical 
Hymnody,  in  no  way  differing  from  that  of  dissenting 
bodies  holding  similar  convictions. 

The  general  trend  was,  however,  otherwise.  The  influ- 
ence of  Woodd's  more  churchly  conception,  even  in  his  own 
party  appears,  for  example,  in  Biddulph's  Selection  of 
Hymns  accommodated  to  the  service  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land (2nd  ed.,  1804)  ;  in  Cecil's  similar  Appendix  of  1806, 
already  referred  to;  and  in  John  Venn's  Appendix  of  the 
same  year  Containing  Hymns  for  the  principal  festivals  of 

"'^Cf.  Wm.  Cams,  Memoirs  of  the  Life  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Simeon, 
chap,  xii,  3rd  ed.,  London,  1848,  pp.  210  fif. 
""The   13th  edition  appeared  in  1837. 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL  353 

the  Church  of  England;  and  for  family  and  private  use. 
Venn's  book  was  decidedly  evangelical  under  its  churchly 
frame  work  and  its  expedient  of  "private"  hymns.  He 
represented  the  "Clapham  sect,"  the  new  missionary  society 
and  The  Christian  Observer;  and  his  little  book  introduced 
hymns  into  many  "country  congregations,"  for  whom  it  was 
designed.  In  extending  hymn  singing  beyond  the  Evan- 
gelical pale,  Woodd  played  a  greater  part. 

But,  in  general,  those  concerned  for  the  integrity  of  the 
Prayer  Book  system  were  not  yet  converted  to  the  latter  day 
Hymnody.  They  saw  with  dismay  hymn  singing  spread- 
ing from  parish  to  parish,  and  new  hymn  books  appearing 
on  every  side.  Of  these,  during  the  first  two  decades  of 
the  XlXth  century  there  were  not  less  than  fifty."^*^  A 
number  of  them  were  designed  for  use  in  a  single  parish. 
Of  those  of  more  general  type,  the  most  important,  not 
already  mentioned,  were:  J.  Fawcett's  A  Collection  of 
Psalms  and  Hymns  from  various  authors  (Carlisle,  1802; 
4th  ed.,  181 1 )  ;  J.  Kempthorne's  Select  portions  of  Psalms 
and  Hymns  from  various  authors  (London,  1810)  ;  Thos. 
Cotterill's  A  Selection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  public  and 
private  use  (Newcastle,  18 10;  8th  ed.,  Sheffield,  1819) ;  and 
G.  T.  Noel's  A  Selection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  from  the 
Neiv  Version  .  .  .  and  others  (London,  c.   181 1)."^^ 

'"The  fullest,  though  incomplete,  list  is  in  Julian's  Dictionary,  pp. 
333,  334. 

"The  hymn  books  of  this  period  introduced  a  few  new  hymn  writers. 
To  Fawcett's  book  Joseph  Dacre  Carlyle  contributed  his  hymns 
including  "Lord,  when  we  bend  before  Thy  throne."  Cotterill  wrote 
many  for  the  various  editions  of  his  Selection,  and  they  attained 
considerable  use.  To  its  gth  edition,  John  Cawood  contributed,  among 
others,  "Hark!  what  mean  those  holy  voices?"  and  "Almighty  God,  Thy 
word  is  cast."  The  most  voluminous  writer  was  William  Hurn,  who, 
while  vicar  of  Debenham,  published  Psalms  and  Hymns,  the  greater 
part  original  (Ipswich,  1813),  containing  more  than  250  of  his  own. 
Their  number  was  greatly  increased  in  his  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs 
(Woodbridge,  1824),  after  he  had  seceded  from  the  church.  During 
this  period  also  Sir  Robert  Grant  was  publishing  hymns  in  The 
Christian  Observer  (1806-1815)  and  Reginald  Heber  printed  his  in  the 
same   periodical    (1811-1816). 


354  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

It  seemed  to  the  conservatives  that  a  purely  voluntary 
system  of  worship  was  intruding  into,  if  not  threatening  to 
supplant,  the  Prayer  Book  system.  "The  importance  which, 
in  many  places,  attaches  to  the  Hymn  Book,"  said  Bishop 
Marsh,  "is  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  the  importance  ascribed 
to  the  Prayer  BookJ^  The  objections  urged  against  the 
Hymn  Book  were  mainly  two:  It  may  tend  to  introduce 
false  doctrines  or  to  undermine  Church  doctrine  in  the 
minds  of  those  using  it;  or  it  may  (as  in  some  instances 
already)  offend  against  reverence  in  worship  by  the 
"flippancy  and  vulgarity"  of  its  contents. 

There  were,  doubtless,  elements  of  disorder,  and  even  of 
danger,  in  this  unchecked  zeal  for  hymnal  making.  But  the 
opposition  took  deeper  ground  and  aimed  at  the  total  sup- 
pression of  hymn  singing  itself  as  introduced  and  practised 
without  even  the  shadow  of  authority.  Woodd,  in  his 
preface,  had  cited  the  uniformity  statute  of  Edward  VI, 
authorizing  the  use  of  "any  Psalm  or  Prayer  taken  out 
of  the  Bible  at  any  due  time,"  and  Queen  Elizabeth's  In- 
junctions of  1559,  permitting  "an  hymn  or  such-like  song" 
"in  the  beginning  or  in  the  end  of  common  prayer."  He 
claimed  also  that  the  prose  hymns  and  Veni  Creator  in  the 
Prayer  Book  involved  an  authorization  of  the  singing  of 
Hymns.  Some  of  his  successors  endeavored  to  strengthen 
their  cause  by  securing  permission  to  dedicate  their  collec- 
tions to  some  friendly  prelate. '^^ 

Some  bishops,  on  the  other  hand,  were  so  confident  that 
nothing  but  the  Old  or  New  Version  of  the  Psalms  was 
authorized  for  use  that  they  warmly  protested  against,  or 
even  prohibited,   the  employment   of   hymns   within  their 

''•A  Charge  delivered  at  the  primary  visitation  of  Herbert,  Lord 
Bishop  of  Peterborough,  in  July,  1820;  with  an  appendix,  containing 
some  remarks  on  the  modern  custom  of  singing  in  our  churches  un- 
authorized Psalms  and  Hymns.     London,  1820. 

•'The  editors  of  Psalms  and  Hymns,  selected  for  the  Churches  of 
Buckden  (181 5)  dedicate  it  by  permission  to  Bishop  Tomline  (of 
Lincoln)  ;  and  in  the  2nd  ed.  (1820)  state  it  to  be  "sanctioned  by  the 
authority  of  that  distinguished  prelate." 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL   355 

dioceses.  We  find  Simeon  in  18 14  writing  to  an  Evan- 
gelical friend  to  "put  aside  Hymns"  rather  than  to  continue 
his  unseemly  contest  with  his  bishop/^  The  Bishop  of 
Exeter  is  said  to  have  prohibited  the  use  of  Ken's  Morning 
and  Evening  Hymns  within  his  diocese.'^ 

The  opposition  was  brought  to  a  head  by  the  publication 
in  18 19  of  an  eighth  and  enlarged  edition  of  Thomas  Cot- 
terill's  A  Selection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  public  and 
private  use,  adapted  to  the  services  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land. Sheffield:  printed  for  the  editor,  by  J.  Montgomery 
at  the  Iris-office.  18 ig:  and  his  attempt  to  enforce  its  use 
upon  his  congregation  at  St.  Paul's,  Sheffield.  This  caused 
much  disturbance  in  the  congregation,  of  which  some  out- 
side opponents  of  hymns  took  advantage;  and  suit  was 
brought  against  Cotterill  in  the  Consistory  Court  of  the 
Archbishop  of  York.  The  Chancellor  decided  that  hymn 
singing  was  an  irregularity  without  due  authority,  but  he 
assumed  that  none  could  wish  to  attack  a  practice  that  had 
become  so  general  and  was  so  edifying.  He  refused  costs 
and  postponed  sentence  upon  Cotterill  for  his  irregularity, 
virtually  reducing  the  issue  before  him  to  a  question  of  the 
merits  of  Cotterill's  book,  which  "certainly  contained  a 
great  many  excellent  Psalms  and  Hymns  to  which  there 
could  be  no  reasonable  objection.""^  He  intimated  that 
the  interests  of  religion  required  a  compromise  of  the  suit, 
and  offered  the  services  of  the  Archbishop  as  mediator.  In 
the  end  the  compromise  was  effected.  Cotterill's  book  was 
withdrawn,  and  a  new  one,'^^  smaller  and  less  markedly 
evangelical,  was  prepared  under  the  eye  of  Archbishop 
Harcourt  and  at  his  expense,  and  the  Sheffield  church  was 
supplied  with  a  sufficiency  of  copies,  each  bearing  the  in- 


''^Memoirs,  ed.  cited,  p.  272. 

'"'The  Christian  Observer,  July,  1822,  p.  435,  n. 

"For  the  legal  proceedings,  see  An  Inquiry  into  historical  facts 
relative  to  parochial  Psalmody   [by  J.  Gray],  York,  1821,  pp.  46  ff. 

"^  Selection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  public  worship,  London, 
T.  Cadell,  1820  (29th  ed.,  1840). 


356  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

scription:  "The  gift  of  his  Grace  the  Lord  Archbishop  of 
York."'« 

These  curious  proceedings,  from  which  no  appeal  was 
taken,  did  not  change  the  irregular  status  of  Hymnody,  but 
they  certainly  discouraged  further  legal  contests.  In  1822 
H,  J.  Todd,  of  the  York  diocese,  published  a  pamphlet,^^ 
urging  the  sole  authority  of  the  old  Psalmody;  in  1820  the 
Bishop  of  Peterborough  charged  against  the  liberty  exer- 
cised by  parishes  in  introducing  hymn  books, ^"^  in  which  he 
was  followed  by  the  Bishop  of  Killaloe,  Ireland,  in  1821.^^ 
But  in  general  the  ground  was  regarded  as  cleared  of  practi- 
cal obstructions,  and  the  making  of  new  hymn  books  pro- 
ceeded apace  in  the  years  following  the  York  settlement. 

In  these  books  the  influence  of  Cotterill's,  in  spite  of  its 
suppression,  is  very  marked.  Though  somewhat  on  earlier 
lines,  it  was  a  fresh  selection,  at  which  the  poet  Montgomery 
assisted.  And  it  had  the  distinction  of  introducing  into 
church  use  some  fifty  of  his  hymns,  thus  contributing  to 
the  permanent  enrichment  of  Hymnody.  In  the  interests, 
real  or  supposed,  of  the  "good  taste"  at  which  Cotterill 
aimed,  Montgomery  also  altered  freely  the  texts  of  his  pre- 
decessors. As  Cotterill's  Selection  served  as  a  source  book 
for  numerous  succeeding  compilers,  it  happened  that  these 
tinkered  texts  frequently  remained  the  standard  till  very 
recent  times,  in  some  cases  to  the  present  day. 

We  may  now  regard  hymn  singing  in  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land as  having  passed  the  stage  of  intrusion  and  even  of 
toleration,  and  to  have  reached  that  of  substantial  recogni- 
tion. It  had  not  superseded  the  singing  of  metrical  Psalms 
but  had  reduced  the  Psalter  to  a  selection  of  psalms,  with 
which  hymns  were  incorporated  on  equal  footing.  As  to 
its  prevalence  we  have  the  testimony  of  the  editors  of  the 

"/^H  Inquiry,  &c.,  pp.  74,  75. 

'"Observations  upon  the  metrical  version  of  the  Psalms,  London, 
F.  C.  &  J.  Rivington,  1822. 
*"See  note  no.  72. 
*'Fully  quoted  in  Todd,  op.  cit.,  pp.  22  flf. 


HYMNODY  OF  EVANGELICAL  REVIVAL  357 

Buckden  Selection:  "There  are,  perhaps,  not  many  large 
congregations  in  our  national  Church,  where  some  Psalms, 
different  from  the  old  and  new  versions,  and  some  Hymns, 
founded  upon  the  history  and  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  have 
not  been  admitted."  More  authoritative  was  the  assumption 
of  the  Chancellor  at  York  that  no  one  having  the  interests 
of  religion  at  heart  would  wish  to  disturb  "the  prevalent 
usage,"  "so  edifying  and  acceptable  to  congregations." 

This  change  had  found  its  opportunity  here,  as  else- 
where, in  the  decadence  and  indifference  into  which  the  old 
Psalmody  had  fallen.  It  had  been  brought  about,  first  by 
the  desire  of  musical  improvement  and  for  the  recognition 
of  church  festivals  and  fasts,  but  mainly  by  the  "enthu- 
siasm" of  the  Evangelical  Revival,  and  the  persistence  of 
the  Evangelical  Party  within  the  Church.*^  The  practice 
of  hymn  singing  had  passed  beyond  the  limits  of  party,  but 
had  not  as  yet  brought  itself  into  close  relation  with  the 
Prayer  Book  system.  The  supply  of  hymn  books  was 
copious,  and  their  very  diversity  had  already  suggested  the 
need  (not  yet  filled)  of  a  collection  of  hymns  compiled  and 
issued  under  competent  authority.^^  The  Hymnody  itself 
bore  the  marks  (never  yet  obliterated)  of  its  Evangelical 
origin  in  its  general  non-sectarian  character,  its  dealings 
with  individual  experience,  and  its  mingling  together  of 
the  work  of  churchman  and  dissenter. 

"The  valuable  introduction  to  Hymns  ancient  and  modern,  His- 
torical edition,  1909,  appears  to  the  present  writer  to  ignore  the  main 
agency  of  the  Evangelicals  within  the  Church  in  introducing  Hymnody, 
and  to  transfer  it  to  the  musical  development  of  London  Charities. 

''See  Todd,  op.  cit.,  pp.  28,  29. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THE    EVANGELICAL   HYMNODY    IN    AMERICA 

I 

ITS  ADOPTION  DELAYED  BY  VARIOUS 
CAUSES 

The  Evangelical  Revival  may  be  said  to  have  come  to 
America  bodily  in  the  person  of  Whitefield.  He  embarked 
for  his  second  visit  in  August,  1739,  fresh  from  the  revival 
scenes  that  had  accompanied  his  preaching  in  England.  His 
connection  with  the  Wesleys  was  still  close,  and  his  reprint 
of  their  Hymns  and  sacred  Poems  at  Philadelphia  in  1740 
has  been  already  noticed.^  But  it  was  during  this  visit 
that  John  Wesley's  publication  of  Arminian  views  called 
forth  Whitefield's  vigorous  protest,  and  no  doubt  empha- 
sized the  Calvinism  of  his  own  preaching  in  the  American 
tours  that  fanned  the  revival  flame  first  kindled  at  North- 
ampton into  the  widespread  Great  Awakening. 

When  Whitefield  came,  the  American  Churches  were  still 
under  the  sway  of  the  Metrical  Psalmody  tradition.  The 
Church  of  England  congregations  closed  their  doors  upon 
him,  and  the  Great  Awakening  had  no  effect  upon  their  dull 
parochial  psalm  singing.  The  Baptists,  especially  in  New 
England,  were  at  first  indifferent,  and  the  Revival  had  to 
create  an  Evangelical  party  before  it  could  arouse  an  interest 
in  an  Evangelical  Hymnody.  Among  Congregationalist 
and  Presbyterian  psalm  singers  the  effects  of  the  Revival 
on  Church  Song  were  immediate  and  final.  It  started  an 
irrepressible  demand  for  a  Hymnody  corresponding  to  the 
evangelical  preaching.  At  that  time  Whitefield  had  taken 
no  steps  toward  developing  a  characteristic  Hymnody  of 

^Chapter  vi,  part  VIII,  section  I. 
358 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  359 

his  own,  and  seems  to  have  made  little  use  of  the  Wesleyan 
Hymns.  He  was,  however,  then  and  always,  in  spite  of 
Dr.  Watts'  coldness  toward  his  revival  methods,  a  great 
admirer  of  that  divine's  "System  of  Praise."  A  friend, 
going  to  Whitefield's  bedroom  on  the  last  night  of  his  life, 
''found  him  reading  in  the  Bible,  and  with  Dr.  Watts' s 
Psalms  lying  open  before  him."^  We  may  hence  presume 
Whitefield's  entire  acquiescence  in  the  fact  that  the  actual 
effect  of  the  Great  Awakening  was  to  start  the  "Era  of 
Watts"  in  American  Hymnody.^ 

In  1753  the  Hymnody  of  the  Evangelical  Revival  found 
an  English  embodiment  in  Whitefield's  own  Hymns  for 
social  zi'orship,  prepared  for  his  Tabernacle ;  copies  of  which 
he  no  doubt  brought  with  him  on  subsequent  visits  to 
America.  While  in  Philadelphia,  during  his  sixth  visit,  he 
wrote  to  his  friend  Robert  Keen,  on  September  21,  1764, — 
"I  received  the  hymn-books,"'*  referring  apparently  to  a 
consignment  of  his  own,  the  twelfth  edition  of  which  had 
just  appeared.  During  the  following  year,  while  he  was 
still  in  America,  or  after  he  had  sailed  for  home  on  June  9, 
the  first  American  reprint  of  the  hymn  book  appeared,  from 
the  press  of  William  Bradford,  Philadelphia,  1765.'^  In 
the  following  year,  while  he  was  in  England,  the  Bradfords 
printed  A  Collection  of  Hymns  for  social  worship.  Ex- 
tracted from  various  authors,  and  published  by  the  Revd. 
Mr.  Madan,  and  the  Revd.  Mr.  White  field.  Philadelphia: 
W.  &  T.  Bradford,  1766:^  a  book  whose  identity  is  not 
obvious. 

In  the  year  1768,  there  were  two  American  reprints  of 

'Jno.  Gillies,  Memoirs  of  George  Whitefield,  London,  1772;  p.  271. 

'C/.  Chapter  iv,  part  IV,  sections  I,  i ;  II,  I. 

'This  clause  does  not  appear  in  the  letter  as  printed  in  Whitefield's 
Works,  London,  1771  (vol.  iii,  pp.  314,  3iS)  ;  but  may  be  found  in 
L.  Tyerman,  Life  of  George  Whitefield,  ed.  N.  Y.,  1877,  vol.  ii,  p.  477- 

'Hildeburn,  Issues  of  the  Pennsylvania  Press,  item  2181. 

''Ibid.,  item  2204.  No  surviving  copy  of  either  of  these  issues  was 
known  to  Hildeburn.  Evans,  in  his  American  Bibliography,  has  merely 
copied  Hildeburn's  entries. 


36o  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Whitefield's  Hymns  for  social  worship,  one  by  James 
Parker  at  New  York,  and  one  "Re-printed  for,  and  sold  by 
John  Mein,  in  Boston" ;  both  described  on  the  title  as  "The 
Thirteenth  Edition."  In  London  new  editions  continued 
to  appear  for  many  years.  There  is  no  record  of  further 
American  reprints,  and  Whitefield's  death  at  Newburyport 
in  1770  does  not  seem  to  have  suggested  a  republication.'^ 
He  had  made  no  effort  to  create  a  new  American  denomina- 
tion, and  the  actual  use  of  the  known  reprints  of  his  hymn 
book  is  far  from  clear.  At  a  time  of  struggle  to  escape 
from  the  bonds  of  a  literal  Psalmody,  the  warm  and  free 
Hymnody  of  Whitefield's  collection  must  have  seemed  to 
most  established  congregations  a  novelty  indeed. 

On  the  whole  the  introduction  of  the  Evangelical 
Hymnody  in  the  larger  sense  was  considerably  delayed  by 
various  causes.  There  was  first  of  all  the  addiction  to 
Metrical  Psalmody  which  held  fast  the  Episcopal  and  many 
Presbyterian  churches  till  the  XlXth  century.  There  was 
the  barrier  of  language  which  set  apart  the  Dutch  and 
German  Reformed  and  the  Lutheran  peoples  from  partici- 
pation in  English  Hymnody  of  any  sort.  There  was  again 
the  enormous  popularity  of  Watts  in  the  Presbyterian  and 
Congregational  and  in  many  Baptist  Churches,  as  they 
became  emancipated  from  the  Psalmody  tradition.  And 
yet  it  was  not  till  after  the  Revolutionary  War  that  the 
use  even  of  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  became  universal 
in  Congregational  churches,  and  it  was  not  till  1802  that 
the  use  of  the  Hymns  of  Watts  was  formally  authorized 
by  the  Presbyterian  General  Assembly. 

It  thus  appears  not  only  that  the  introduction  of  the 
Evangelical  Hymnody  was  delayed,  but  that  it  was  not 
synchronous  in  the  various  denominations.  While  Congre- 
gationalists   and    Presbyterians   were   still   in   the   Era   of 

■'In  the  case  of  hymn  books  particularly,  the  lack  of  any  record  of 
publication  is  far  from  conclusive.  For  instance  the  Boston  reprint 
of  1768  of  Whitefield's  collection  is  not  mentioned  in  any  bibliography 
known  to  the  writer. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  361 

Watts,  the  Baptists  had  introduced  the  EvangeHcal  Hym- 
nody;  the  Methodists  had  brought  over  the  Wesleyan 
Hymnody,  the  Episcopahans  were  still  confined  to  metrical 
psalms,  the  German  Reformed  had  not  even  begun  to  use 
English. 

These  differences  in  date  are  not  however  so  great  that 
it  matters  much  in  what  order  we  take  up  the  period  of 
the  Evangelical  Hymnody  in  the  various  denominations.  It 
seems  natural  to  begin  with  those  whose  Church  Song  we 
have  traced  from  the  decline  of  Metrical  Psalmody  through 
the  Era  of  Watts : — the  Baptist,  Congregationalist  and 
Presbyterian,  Then  may  follow  the  Churches  which 
crossed  at  once  from  the  singing  of  psalms  into  the  use 
of  the  Evangelical  Hymnody  without  passing  through  the 
intermediate  stage  of  any  era  of  Watts'  supremacy: — the 
Protestant  Episcopal  and  Reformed  Dutch.  Then  come 
the  foreign-speaking  Churches  that  brought  here  a 
Hymnody  in  their  own  tongues;  which,  on  adopting  the 
English,  they  supplemented  by  the  Evangelical  Hymnody 
of  their  neighbors : — the  German  Reformed  and  Lutherans. 
The  denominations  born  on  American  soil  may  be  con- 
sidered chronologically  or  in  connection  with  the  Churches 
out  of  which  they  came,  as  the  interests  of  lucidity  suggest. 
American  Methodism  kept  in  the  main  to  the  Hymnody  of 
the  Methodist  side  of  the  Revival,  and  to  that  home-made 
Revival  Hymnody  so  often  seeming  like  a  parody  of  the 
Wesleyan ;  and  during  the  period  now  under  review  requires 
no  further  consideration. 

II 

ITS  USE  BY  THE  BAPTISTS 

I.     Its  Early  Welcome  among  Regular  Baptists 
(1790-1850) 

The  Baptist  Churches,  when  once  their  XVI Ith  century 
scruples  against  singing  had  been  left  behind,  had  found 


362  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

less  difficulty  in  the  way  of  introducing  hymns  than  other 
Churches  where  the  Psalmody  tradition  prevailed.  And 
when  their  XVHIth  century  tendency  to  "Arminianism"  had 
been  turned  into  strenuous  Calvinism  by  the  "New  Light" 
of  the  Great  Awakening  and  the  conflict  with  Methodism 
in  the  new  evangelization,  the  Baptists  were  in  as  favor- 
able a  position  as  any  to  receive  the  new  Evangelical 
Hymnody. 

Their  churches  had  been  among  the  earliest  in  America 
to  adopt  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns.  Their  first  denomina- 
tional hymn  book  (Newport,  1766)  had  for  its  special 
motive  the  desire  for  Baptismal  Hymns,  and  did  not  go 
beyond  Watts  in  the  evangelical  direction.  But  the  1790 
Selection  of  the  Philadelphian  Association  was  largely  based 
on  the  1767  Collection  of  N.  Conyers,  one  of  the  Church  of 
England  Evangelicals,  and  the  1792  reprint  of  Rippon's 
Selection  put  American  Baptists  in  early  possession  of  much 
of  the  Evangelical  Hymnody. 

Here,  as  in  England,  Rippon's  Selection  was  not  used  as 
a  substitute  for  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns,  but  as  supple- 
menting them  on  "Subjects  of  discourse"  left  unprovided 
for;  and  the  same  thing  was  true  of  the  Selection  added  to 
Watts  by  Winchell  in  1819.  These  supplements  did  not, 
however,  greatly  appeal  to  the  less  educated  type  of 
preacher,  and  were  regarded  as  especially  insufficient  to 
meet  the  needs  of  evangelistic  work.  So  that  Watts  and 
the  Evangelical  Hymnody  and  Revival  Songs  held  a  con- 
temporaneous place  in  Baptist  Church  Song,  and  in  studying 
its  history  during  the  Era  of  Watts^  we  have  therefore 
covered  also  so  much  of  the  period  of  the  Evangelical 
Hymnody  as  lay  within  the  dates  of  our  study. 

We  left  of¥  at  the  point  where  the  hold  of  "Watts  entire" 
upon  educated  congregations  was  strengthened  by  the  use 
in  New  England  of  Winchell's  Watts'  and  select  and  in 
the  Middle  States  of  Watts  and  Rippon,  while  to  the  West 
and   South   there   was  a  wide  preference    for   "Spiritual 

'Ante,  chap,  iv,  part  IV,  section  III. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  363 

Songs."  In  the  West  the  situation  was  probably  bettered 
by  H.  Miller's  A  new  Selection  of  Psalms,  Hymns,  and 
Spiritual  Songs,  from  the  best  authors  (Cincinnati).  It 
was  strong  in  Watts  and  the  Baptist  writers  of  his  school, 
used  some  of  the  later  Evangelical  Hymnody  and  included 
a  large  collection  of  "Spiritual  Songs,"  often  of  the  better 
type.  It  was  a  book  of  the  sort  that  influences  thousands 
of  plain  people  without  gaining  much  notice  beyond  its 
constituency;  it  reached  a  fifteenth  edition  in  1833,  and  a 
twenty-first  in  1839. 

In  New  England  the  situation  was  little  affected  by  the 
publication  of  Manual  of  Christian  Psalmody  (Boston  and 
Philadelphia,  1832),  which  was  merely  a  variation  of 
Lowell  Mason's  Church  Psalmody  made  by  Rufus  Bab- 
cock  Jr.,  of  Salem,  and  designed  to  supersede  Winchell; 
nor  by  Linsley  and  Davis'  Select  Hymns,  adapted  to  the 
devotional  services  of  the  Baptist  Denomination  (Hartford, 
1836:  2nd  ed.,  1837),  designed  only  to  supplement  Win- 
chell. To  the  latter  Mrs.  Sigourney  contributed  some 
hymns,  of  which  "Laborers  of  Christ,  arise"  became  widely 
used. 

Many  congregations  in  the  Middle  States,  as  well  as  the 
South  and  West,  introduced  The  Baptist  Hymn  Book; 
original  and  selected.  In  two  parts.  By  W.  C.  Buck,  pastor 
of  the  East  Baptist  Church,  Louisville,  Ky.  (Louisville, 
1842).  Ten  thousand  copies  were  sold  within  two  years, 
and  the  revised  edition  of  1844  long  continued  to  be  re- 
printed. Buck  was  an  educated  man,  a  famous  platform 
speaker,  and  in  his  old  age  a  Confederate  chaplain.  But  his 
collection  of  868  "Hymns"  and  211  "Songs"  did  not  much 
further  the  best  interests  of  Baptist  Hymnody. 

In  many  sections  the  demand  grew  for  a  hymn  book 
more  modern  than  Winchell's  or  Rippon's  Watts  and  better 
than  Miller's  or  Buck's,  on  which  it  was  hoped  the  churches 
might  unite.  In  1841  the  Publication  Society  began  prepara- 
tions to  meet  the  demand,  only  to  learn  that  a  Boston  pub- 
lishing house  was  about  to  issue  a  hymn  book  with  similar 


364  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

aims.  To  this,  though  only  a  pubHsher's  enterprise,  the 
Society  decided  to  lend  its  name  in  order  to  avoid  a  multi- 
plication of  hymn  books.^  It  appeared  as  The  Psalmist:  a 
nczv  Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  the  Baptist 
Churches.  By  Baron  Stow  and  S.  F.  Smith.  Boston:  Gould, 
Kendall,  and  Lincoln.  18 4 j.  Stow  was  a  successful  Boston 
pastor,  and  Smith  was  becoming  known  as  a  writer  of 
hymns  and  the  patriotic  song  "America." 

Judged  from  a  modern  standpoint  The  Psalmist  had 
many  faults.  Its  size  ( 1 180  hymns)  was  due  to  the  demand 
for  a  hymn  on  every  important  sermon  topic. ^"  The  editors' 
ignorance  of  the  sources  of  the  hymns  and  too  free  dealings 
with  the  texts  were  also  of  the  time,  however  regrettable; 
their  entire  ignorance  of  the  Wesleyan  Hymns  and  their 
handling  of  them  surely  inexcusable  at  so  late  a  day.^^ 
Again  the  book  was  of  its  time  rather  than  in  advance  of 
it  in  its  use  of  303  numbers  from  Watts,  57  from  Dod- 
dridge, 52  from  Miss  Steele,  and  41  from  Beddome,  and  in 
having  700  hymns  in  long  and  common  metre.  The  attempt 
throughout  to  curtail  the  hymns  to  a  mechanical  standard 
of  four  stanzas  or  less,  seems  intended  to  gratify  preachers 
who  wished  full  sermons  and  short  hymns,  and  is  described 
by  a  reviewer  as  "convenient."^^ 

And  yet  on  the  whole  The  Psalmist  marked  a  decided 
advance.  It  gave  the  Baptists  precedence  over  other  denomi- 
nations in  leaving  behind  the  "Psalms  and  Hymns"  era  of 
compromise  with  the  Psalmody  tradition.  It  delivered  them 
from  the  weight  of  "Watts  entire"  and  rose  superior  to 
the  Baptist  predilection  for  "Spiritual  Songs."  It  added  to 
the  Evangelical  Hymnody,  already  familiar,  much  from 
Montgomery  and  other  newer  writers,  and  was  the  best 
selection  of  hymns  the  Baptists  had  ever  had;  "the  best 


"Note  prefixed  to  The  Psalmist. 
^'Preface,  p.  6. 

"For  this  they  were  properly  brought  to  book  in    The  Methodist 
Review,  July,  1849,  p.  448. 

''The  Christian  Review,  Sept.,  1843,  p.  452. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  365 

collection,"  said  The  Christian  Review   (of  which  Smith 
was  editor),  "ever  published  in  the  English  language."^^ 

Hymn  writing  by  American  Baptists  up  to  that  date  is 
represented  in  The  Psalmist  by  eleven  writers.  Twenty-six 
hymns  by  Smith  outnumber  those  of  all  the  others.  His 
"The  morning  light  is  breaking"  and  "Softly  fades  the 
twilight  ray,"  are  widely  sung,  "While  through  the  land 
the  strains  resound"^^  of  his  "My  country,  'tis  of  thee."  Of 
other  writers  are  two  by  Adoniram  Judson,  two  by  Sewall 
S.  Cutting  who  edited  a  book  of  his  own,  Hymns  for  the 
vestry  and  fireside  ( 1841 ),  and  one  by  Henry  S.  Washburn 
who  in  old  age  gathered  his  Vacant  Chair  and  other  poems. 

The  Psalmist  fulfilled  expectations  in  the  North,  becom- 
ing a  bond  of  unity  between  the  churches.  It  was  set  to 
music  in  i860,  and  supplemented  by  The  Baptist  Harp 
(Philadelphia,  1849)  for  social  services.  In  the  South  it 
failed  through  its  omission  of  many  hymns  of  local  popu- 
larity, and  Drs.  Richard  Fuller  and  J.  B.  Jeter  were  engaged 
to  embody  these  in  A  Supplement  (1850).  But  the  South- 
ern Publication  Society  made  its  own  book.  The  Baptist 
Psalmody;  a  Selection  of  Hymns  for  the  zvorship  of  God 
(Charleston,  1851);  and  this,  with  Sidney  Dyer's  The 
Southwestern  Psalmist,  later  Dyer's  Psalmist  (Louisville), 
shared  in  the  South  the  position  taken  by  The  Psalmist  in 
the  North.  Dyer  contributed  sixteen  hymns  to  his  collec- 
tion, and  published  two  volumes  of  his  verse.  These  books, 
with  revival  song  books,  such  as  Elder  (Jacob)  Knapp's 
The  Ei'angelical  Harp  (Utica,  1845),  and  John  Dowling's 
popular  Conference  Hymns  (New  York,  1849).  bring  Bap- 
tist Hymnody  down  to  the  time  when  Beecher's  Plymouth 
Collection  and  the  Andover  Sabbath  Hymn  and  Tune  Book 
began  to  change  the  face  of  Congregational  Song. 

"September,  1843,  p.  450- 

"O.  W.  Holmes  to  S.  F.  Smith,  Octo.  21,  1888.  For  the  history  of 
the  hymn  see  the  writer's  Studies  of  Familiar  Hymns,  Phila.,  1903, 
chap,  ix:  for  Smith's  collected  hymns  and  verse,  see  his  rucms  of 
Home  and  Country,  New  York,  1895. 


366  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

2.     Diverging  Currents  of  Baptist  Hymnody 

There  arose,  however,  during  the  period  under  review, 
a  number  of  denominations  holding  Baptist  views  but 
separate  from  the  main  body ;  and  whose  Hymnody  in  some 
cases  demands  separate  consideration. 

(i)  The  Freewill  Baptists.  Henry  Alhne,  born  at 
Newport  in  1748,  became  a  fiery  evangeHst  in  Nova  Scotia 
and  a  great  disturber  of  church  relationships.^^  Among 
his  numerous  publications  was  a  collection  of  no  less  than 
487  original  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs,  somewhat  in 
Doddridge's  manner,  but  without  his  distinction.  The  Free- 
will Baptists  of  Nova  Scotia  and  New  England  may  be 
regarded  as  Alline's  disciples.  In  New  Hampshire,  during 
a  visit  to  which  Alline  died  in  1784,  the  first  Freewill  Baptist 
church  had  been  founded  in  1871  by  Benjamin  Randall,^® 
who  dated  his  conversion  to  impressions  produced  by  White- 
field's  death,  but  who  became  an  aggressively  anti-Calvinis- 
tic  Baptist.  A  third  edition  of  Alline's  Hymns  "with  some 
enlargements"  under  Randall's  auspices,^''^  appeared  at 
Dover  in  1797;  another  at  "Stonington-port,  (Con.)"  in 
1802.18 

With  the  growth  of  the  denomination  the  demand  arose 
for  a  denominational  hymn  book,  and  the  General  Confer- 

""There  is  an  account  of  Alline  and  his  work  in  The  Christian 
Instructor,  Pictou,  Nova  Scotia,  vol.  iv,  1859,  for  February  and  the 
months  following.  See  also  D.  Benedict,  Getil.  Hist,  of  Bapt.  Denom- 
ination, Boston,  1813,  vol.  i,  pp.  282  fif. 

"See  Benedict,  vol.  ii,  pp.  410  ff. 

"The  enlargements  consisted  of  a  Farewell  Hymn  by  Alline,  an 
added  hymn  by  Benjamin  Randall,  and  an  account  by  David  McClure 
of  Alline's  death.  Alline's  hymn,  addressed  "to  the  Christians,"  con- 
firms Benedict's  statement  that  some  of  his  followers  preferred  that 
name. 

"Some  of  Alline's  hymns  are  in  Elias  Smith's  Hymns  for  the  use 
of  Christians  (1805).  His  best  hymn,  "Amazing  sight,  the  Saviour 
stands,"  was  included  in  Nettleton's  Village  Hymns,  and  taken  thence 
into  Dr.  Hatfield's  Presbyterian  The  Church  Hymn  Book  (New  York, 
1872).  There,  and  even  in  the  Freewill  Baptist  collection  of  1832,  it 
is  marked  "Anon." 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  367 

ence  arranged  for  the  publication  of  Hymns  for  Christian 
Melody.  Selected  from  various  authors.  Boston:  published 
by  Dazid  Marks,  for  the  Free-will  Baptist  Connection 
(1832).  It  gathered  its  1000  hymns  from  practically 
all  available  sources,  and  is  distinguished  by  its  large  use 
of  the  "Methodist  Selection,"  and  an  avoidance  of  "Hymns 
of  the  lower  grade."  The  statement  of  the  preface  that 
"Experience  has  proved  no  composition  of  an  inferior 
character  can  long  be  used  to  edification,"  may  refer  back 
to  the  outgrown  hymns  of  Alline,  or  to  later  attempts  to 
introduce  current  revival  songs.  This  book  was  super- 
seded in  1853  by  an  even  larger  and  carefully  prepared  col- 
lection of  1232  hymns,  The  Psalmody:  a  Collection  of 
Hymns  for  public  and  social  zvorship.  Compiled  by  order 
of  the  Freezvill  Baptist  General  Conference  (Dover,  N.  H.). 
In  this  there  is  less  of  the  Wesleys,  but  it  is  notable  for  a 
section  of  "Anti-slavery"  Hymns,  a  cause  to  which  the 
denomination  committed  itself  as  early  as  1835  to  the 
detriment  of  its  own  growth. 

(2)  The  Dunkers  (Tunkers,  German  Baptist  Brethren, 
The  Brethren)  who  organized  at  Germantown,  near  Phila- 
delphia, in  1723,  found  need  for  an  English  hymn  book  as 
early  as  1791  : — The  Christians  Duty,  exhibited,  in  a  series 
of  Hymns:  collected  from  various  authors,  designed  for 
the  zvorship  of  God,  and  for  the  edification  of  Christians, 
recommended  to  the  serious,  of  all  denominations.  By  the 
Fraternity  of  Baptist's.  The  first  edition.  Germantozvn, 
printed  by  Peter  Leibcrt,  17^1.  (2nd  edition,  1801 ;  3rd, 
1813).  The  collections  prepared  by  Elhanan  Winchester 
for  the  "Universal  Baptists"  of  Philadelphia^^  must  have 
been  among  "The  several  sorts  of  Hymn  Books"  referred 
to  in  the  preface  as  "in  Meeting  at  once,"  and  served  as  a 
source  book  for  much  of  the  materials  of  this.  Many  of 
the  hymns  of  Watts  and  of  the  Evangelical  Revival  were 
included,  with  one  "For  washing  of  Feet."  This  collection 
of  352  hymns  was  enlarged  rather  than  modified  by  A 

'^Chapter  iv,  part  iv,  section  III,  2,  (i). 


368  THE  ENGLISH, HYMN 

Selection  of  Hymns,  from  various  authors,  supplementary 
for  the  use  of  Christians.  First  edition.  Germantown:  pub- 
lished by  John  Leibcrt,  June  2,  18 16:  the  original  book 
reaching  a  fourth  edition  in  1825. 

Many  Dunkers  took  part  in  the  settlement  of  the  Middle 
West;  and  the  West  had  its  own  hymn  book  in  A  choice 
Selection  of  Hymns,  from  various  authors  recommended 
for  the  worship  of  God  (stereotype  edition,  Henry  Kurtz, 
Poland,  O.,  1852).  It  had  many  of  the  hymns  from  The 
Christian's  Duty,  and  a  new  one  "At  washing  feet,"  around 
which  ordinance  a  controversy  arose  in  the  West. 

After  the  unavoidable  separations  of  the  Civil  War,  in 
which  they  took  no  part,  this  quaint  and  good  people  united 
(as  though  nothing  had  happened)  in  General  Meeting, 
which  published  A  Collection  of  Psalms,  Hymns  and 
Spiritual  Songs  .  .  .  adapted  to  the  Fraternity  of  the 
Brethren  (Covington,  O.,  1867).  Tunes  were  provided  in 
a  musical  edition,  The  Brethren's  Hymn  and  Tune  Book 
(1872;  revised  edition,  1879).  Of  the  818  hymns  at  least 
125  deal  with  death  and  heaven,  but  neither  in  that  propor- 
tion nor  in  other  features  is  there  much  to  differentiate 
the  Brethren's  Hymnody  from  the  current  evangelical  hymn 
books  of  the  more  solid  type  from  which  it  was  compiled 
with  some  pains.  After  the  unfortunate  split  of  1882  the 
Progressive  Brethren  published  a  much  inferior  book.  The 
Brethren  Hymnody  with  tunes  (Wilmington,  O.,  1884), 
about  equally  divided  between  hymns  of  the  standard  type 
and  "many  favorites  of  the  later  variety"  popular  in  Sun- 
day schools  and  evangelistic  services.  The  conservatives 
followed  in  The  Brethren  Hymnal:  a  Collection  of  Psalms, 
Hymns,  and  Spiritual  Songs  .  .  .  Compiled  under  direc- 
tion of  the  General  Conference  of  the  German  Baptist 
Brethren  Church  (Elgin,  III,  1901),  which  also,  it  must 
be  confessed,  creates  an  impression  of  a  lowered  educational 
standard. 

(3)  The  Mennonites  began  coming  to  America  at  a 
very  early  period,  and  may  be  grouped  under  the  Baptists 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  369 

in  the  sense  that  they  practice  behevers'  baptism  only, 
though  ordinarily  by  affusion.  Small  in  number,  they  are 
yet  divided  into  twelve  independent  sects,  several  of  which 
speak  German  exclusively.  Even  in  the  parent  body  sing- 
ing in  English  was  long  deferred,  beginning  with  A  Collec- 
tion of  Psalms,  Hymns,  and  Spiritual  Songs.  Suited  to 
the  various  occasions  .  .  .  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  By 
a  committee  of  the  Mennonites  (Mountain  Valley,  Va, :  4th 
ed.  with  an  appendage  of  German  hymns,  1859).  It  also 
has  its  hymns  "For  feet  washing,"  but  is  otherwise  com- 
piled from  the  hymn  books  of  the  time  with  little  distinctive- 
ness and  less  distinction.  Hymns  and  Tunes  for  public 
and  private  worship  and  Sunday  schools.  Compiled  by 
a  committee  (Elkhart,  Ind. :  Mennonite  Publ.  Co.,  1890) 
is  a  fresh  selection,  with  original  contributions  both  of 
hymns  and  music.  A  choice  Collection  of  spiritual  Hymns 
.  .  .  designed  for  the  use  of  the  Evangelical  United  Men- 
nonites and  all  lovers  of  Zion  (Goshen,  Ind. :  E.  U.  Men- 
nonite Pub.  Soc,  1S81)  has  no  less  than  six  hymns  "For 
feet  washing,"  and  exhibits  an  educational  standard  some- 
what below  the  average. 

(4)  The  Church  of  God.  John  Winebrenner,  while 
pastor  of  the  German  Reformed  church  at  Harrisburg,  Pa., 
conducted  a  revival  whose  methods  were  criticized,  and  he 
left  that  denomination  in  1825  to  continue  revival  work 
in  the  neighborhood.  Several  congregations  were  formed, 
and  in  1831  a  new  denomination,  "The  Church  of  God  in 
North  America,"  which,  while  avoiding  the  name,  is  a  Bap- 
tist Church.  For  its  hymn  book  it  naturally  adopted  its 
founder's  A  Prayer  Meeting  and  Revival  Hymn  Book;  or 
a  Selection  of  the  best  "Psalms  and  Hymns  and  Spiritual 
Songs,"  from  various  authors,  for  the  use  of  social  prayer 
meetings  and  revivals  of  religion.  By  John  Winebrenner, 
V.D.M.  (Harrisburg,  1825).  It  is  a  compilation  of  501 
hymns,  afterward  increased  by  y2,  including  some  of  a 
standard  character,  but  prevailingly  of  the  revival  and  camp- 
meeting  order.     With  the  spread  of  the  Church  it  reached 


370  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

a  tenth  edition  in  1851.  Its  style  of  Church  Hymnody, 
however  unconventional,  is  natural  enough  in  view  of  the 
denominational  origin  and  conditions. 

(5)  The  Disciples  of  Christ  (Campbellite  Baptists; 
Christians),  though  left  to  the  last,  represent  the  most  im- 
portant schism  of  the  Baptist  body,  and  are  now  one  of  the 
largest  American  Churches.  They  trace  their  origin  on  the 
one  side  to  the  Kentucky  Revival;  Barton  W.  Stone,  one 
of  its  Presbyterian  leaders,  organizing  in  1804  a  body  with- 
out a  creed,  called  "Christians" :  on  the  other  to  Alexander 
Campbell,  organizing  "non-sectarian"  congregations,  join- 
ing the  Redstone  and  then  the  Mahoning  Baptist  Associa- 
tions ;  diverting  many  Baptist  congregations  from  the  specu- 
lative Calvinism  then  prevailing  and  from  their  denomina- 
tional allegiance;  uniting  in  1827  with  the  followers  of 
Stone  to  form  a  church  with  no  creed  but  the  Scriptures. 

Campbell  impressed  his  personality  upon  the  Hymnody 
as  upon  everything  else  connected  with  the  Disciples.  He 
objected  not  only  to  the  doctrines  of  current  hymn  books, 
but  to  the  fact  that  they  were  doctrinal.  They  are,  he  said, 
"in  general  a  collection  of  everything  preached  in  the  range 
of  the  system  of  the  people  who  adopt  them."  "They  are 
our  creed  in  metre" :  yet  "in  common  life  men  are  not  dis- 
posed to  sing  their  opinions,"  but  "love-songs,  the  praises 
of  heroes,  and  the  triumphs  of  wars."  "Christians  are 
the  same  men  sanctified:  let  the  love  of  God,  the  praises 
of  the  character  and  achievements  of  the  Captain  of  their 
salvation,  animate  their  Hymns."^" 

There  was  much  truth  in  this  judgment  of  the  current 
misuse  of  Hymnody.  And  yet  men,  natural  or  regenerate, 
do  like  songs  that  express  their  convictions.  Campbell  him- 
self could  not  carry  out  his  principle.  The  Baptismal 
Hymn,  "O  Lord,  and  will  thy  pardoning  love  embrace  a 
wretch  so  vile,"  certainly  embodies  his  view  of  the  connec- 
tion of  baptism  with  the  remission  of  sins,  and  that  begin- 
ning  "Reform   and   be   immersed"    seems   to   express  an 

^"Introduction  to  his  Psalms,  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  371 

opinion  upon  the  mode  of  baptism. ^^  After  all,  Campbell's 
view  involved  practically  nothing  more  than  discrimination 
in  using  the  hymns  of  other  Churches;  and  in  May,  1828, 
he  printed  a  small  book  of  only  125  hymns  preceded  and 
followed  by  brief  treatises  on  Psalmody  and  Prayer.  Only 
five  of  the  hymns  were  original,  and  they  were  unimpor- 
tant.22 

Stone  and  John  T.  Johnson  had  also  made  a  hymn  book, 
which  some  preferred  to  Campbell's,  and  he,  in  order  to 
avoid  rivalry  and  to  supply  more  hymns,  proposed  "to 
make  of  the  twain  one  new  hymn-book."^^  It  appeared 
as  Psalms,  Hymns,  and  Spiritual  Songs,  originaP'^  and 
selected.  Compiled  by  A.  Campbell,  W.  Scott,  B.  W.  Stone, 
and  J.  T.  Johnson.  Bethany,  Va.,  1834.  This  attained  a 
seventh  edition  by  1841,  and  in  1851  was  enlarged,  the 
words.  With  numerous  additions  and  emendations. 
Adapted  to  personal,  family,  and  church  worship.  By 
Alexander  Campbell.  First  edition,  being  added  to  the 
title.  The  hymn  book  appearing  in  New  York  in  the  same 
year  as  Sacred  Poetry,  selected  and  amended,  by  Dr.  S.  E. 
Shepard,  by  resolution  of  the  New  York  State  Convention 
of  the  Disciples  of  Christ  was  a  bright  and  independent 
selection. 

In  1864  the  Hymnody  passed  from  Campbell's  control 
into  that  of  the  American  Christian  Missionary  Society, 
who  made  a  fresh  survey  of  outside  hymn  books,  and  con- 
formed to  the  fashion  of  the  time  in  a  huge  collection  of 
1320  hymns, — The  Christian  Hymn  Book:  a  compilation 
of   Psalms,    Hymns    and    Spiritual    Songs,    original    and 

''Spiritual  Songs,  Nos.  96,  97;  Ps.  Hys.  &  Sp.  Songs,  rev.  ed.,  1851. 

"For  their  first  lines  see  R.  Richardson,  Memoirs  of  Alexander 
Campbell,  vol.  ii,  ed.  1890,  p.  658,  note.  These  hymns  remained  in 
the  hymn  book  as  long  as  Campbell  kept  control  of  it. 

'-'"Campbell  in  The  Millennial  Harbinger  for  May,  1834,  p.  239. 

''The  original  material  is  perhaps  larger  than  can  be  traced,  but 
found  no  permanent  acceptance.  Stone  was  one  of  the  hymn  writers 
of  the  Kentucky  Revival.  For  his  hymns  see  J.  Rogers,  The  Biography 
of  Eld.  Barton  Warren  Stone,  5th  ed.,  Cincinnati,  1847,  PP-  2^3  ^- 


372  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

selected.  By  A.  Campbell  and  others.  Revised  and  enlarged 
by  a  committee.  Cincinnati:  H.  S.  Boszvorth,  publisher. 
1866.  Tunes  were  provided  in  The  Christian  Hymnal 
(Cincinnati,  1871).  The  new  Christian  Hymn  and  Tune 
Book  {Cincinnati,  1882  and  1887)  is  a  collection  of  hymns 
and  "Gospel  Songs"  without  distinction.  The  original 
material  of  1866  is  small.  It  would  be  interesting  to  accept 
the  fact  that  the  committee  could  find  1320  hymns  in  cur- 
rent books  where  Campbell  in  1828  found  only  125  as 
evidence  that  the  churches  had  come  to  accept  his  canons 
of  Praise.  But  in  fact  the  better  part  of  the  additions  of 
1866  is  from  XVII Ith  century  writers. 


Ill 

MAKING  ITS  WAY  INTO  CONGREGATIONAL 

AND   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCHES 

I.     The  Era  of  Revival    (1790-1832):   "Village 
Hymns" 

The  religious  apathy  that  bound  New  England  after  the 
Revolution  was  indifferent  to  any  enlargement  of  the 
church  Hymnody  and  averse  to  any  heightening  of  its 
emotional  atmosphere.  It  had  taken  the  fervor  of  the  Great 
Awakening  to  turn  the  churches  from  Metrical  Psalmody 
to  Watts,  and  it  was  in  the  renewed  warmth  of  revival 
that  the  Evangelical  Hymnody  began  to  prove  acceptable. 
About  1790  a  movement  made  itself  felt  that,  without  the 
leadership  of  a  Whitefield  or  the  questionable  measures  of 
the  earlier  revival,  spread  into  a  Lesser  Awakening. 

In  the  revival  services  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  had  to 
be  depended  on  because  most  available.  Olney  Hymns  itself 
was  reprinted  in  New  York  as  early  as  1787,  and  again  in 
1790  (Hodge,  Allen  and  Campbell),  in  Philadelphia  in 
1792  (William  Young),  and  often  thereafter.  It  is  not 
likely  that  it  was  much  used  as  a  hymn  book,  though  doubt- 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  2>7Z 

less  some  of  the  hymns  of  the  Evangelical  Revival  were 
introduced  by  lining  them  out  from  this  and  other  col- 
lections. 

A  "very  great  demand"  arose  for  hymns  of  the  newer 
type,  and  "several  booksellers"  consulted  the  Hartford 
pastors  "for  advice,  which  of  the  many  selections  of  hymns 
extant  it  would  be  most  advisable  to  reprint. "^^  They 
reported  in  favor  of  a  new  hymn  book,  adapted  to  local 
conditions,  and  were  persuaded  to  undertake  it.  None  was 
more  active  in  the  revival  than  Nathan  Strong,  the  sturdy 
pastor  of  the  First  Church,  and  with  the  assistance  of  Abel 
Flint,  pastor  of  the  Second  Church,  and  of  Joseph  Steward, 
one  of  his  own  deacons,  he  prepared  The  Hartford  Selec- 
tion of  Hymns,  from  the  most  approved  authors.  To  zvhich 
are  added  a  number  never  before  published  (Hartford: 
John  Babcock,  1799).  Most  of  its  378  hymns  were  from 
Olney  Hymns,  Doddridge,  and  Rippon's  Selection,  with 
some  originals,  of  which  "Swell  the  anthem,  raise  the 
song",  is  remembered.  By  prearrangement  Jonathan  Ben- 
jamin issued  an  accompanying  book  of  tunes  (Harmonia 
Coelestis,  Northampton,  Sept.  1799)  mostly  in  the  florid 
manner  of  Madan's  Lock  Collection,  and  leaving  the  com- 
piler's promise  to  provide  for  all  "the  particular  metres", 
unfulfilled. 

The  Hartford  Selection  brought  into  the  churches  some- 
thing of  the  atmosphere  of  the  Olney  Revival,  and  was  so 
warmly  welcomed  as  to  reach  an  eighth  edition  in  182 1. 
In  1833  a  competent  witness  wrote : — 

"It  has  been  printed  in  greater  numbers,  has  been  diffused  more 
extensively,  and  has  imparted  more  alarm  to  the  sinner,  and  more 
consolation  to  the  saint,  than  any  other  compilation  of  religious  odes 
in  this  country,  during  a  period  of  nearly  thirty  years." '" 

But  it  did  not  much  affect  the  supremacy  of  Watts  in 
the  church  services  of  established  parishes.  There  is  no 
evidence  that  either  of  the  Hartford  compilers  and  pastors 

"Preface  to  The  Hartford  Selection,  1799. 

"Rev.  Luther  Hart  in  Christian  Spectator,  Sept.,  1833,  pp.  344,  345. 


374  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

introduced  it  into  his  own  church. ^^  It  was  rather  the 
precursor  of  the  Evangelistic  Hymn  Book;  used  in  the  re- 
vival services  then  so  general,  in  the  conference  meetings 
of  older  parishes  and  in  the  new  congregations  which  the 
Connecticut  Association  was  forming  in  the  new  settle- 
ments. The  Hartford  Selection  remains  one  of  the  land- 
marks of  New  England  Hymnody, — the  first  on  the  Cal- 
vinistic  side  to  get  beyond  the  all-sufficiency  of  Watts,  the 
earliest  of  a  series  of  hymn  books  born  of  the  revival  spirit 
and  without  ecclesiastical  sanction  that  first  paralleled  the 
authorized  Hymnody  in  Congregational  and  Presbyterian 
churches  and  then  contributed  more  or  less  to  modify  and 
enrich  it. 

The  relations  of  Connecticut  Congregationalism  with 
Presbyterianism  w^ere  so  close  as  narrowly  to  escape  coales- 
cence. No  doubt  the  missionaries  of  both  used  The  Hart- 
ford Selection  in  their  joint  labors  in  the  new  settlements, 
and  an  actual  junction  of  the  authorized  Psalmody  of  the 
two  bodies  was  effected  by  their  common  adoption  of 
President  Dwight's  rescension  of  Watts'  Psalms  of  i8oi.^* 
He  knew  what  was  expected  of  him,  and  in  his  appended 
hymns  kept  mainly  within  the  school  of  Watts,  taking  only 
two  of  Olney  Hymns,  and  one  of  Charles  Wesley  which 
he  attributed  to  "Rippon." 

Eighteen  years  later  Dr.  Worcester's  Select  Hymns^^ 
began  to  supplement  Watts  in  Congregational  churches  of 
the  Massachusetts  type,  and  were  to  prove  a  rival  of  the 
authorized  Psalms  and  Hymns  in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
He  went  further  afield  for  his  hymns  than  Dr.  Dwight. 
though  with  an  astounding  ignorance  of  geography,^*^  and 

"The  First  Church  adopted  "Dwight's  Watts"  very  soon  after  the 
publication  of  The  Hartford  Selection.  G.  L.  Walker,  History  of  the 
First  Chureh  in  Hartford,  Hartford,   1884,  pp.  349,  394- 

='See  chap,  iv,  part  IV,  sect.  I,  i.  '"Ibid. 

^"He  ascribed  "Jesus,  Lover  of  my  soul"  to  Cowper ;  "Guide  me, 
O  Thou  Great  Jehovah"  to  Robinson;  "Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow" 
to  Toplady;  "Angels,  roll  the  rock  away"  to  Gibbons;  "All  hail  the 
power  of  Jesus'  Name"  to  Duncan. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  375 

his  eclectic  selection  brought  a  number  of  the  Evangelical 
H};mns  into  church  use. 

"^/Vhen  Asahel  Nettleton  began  his  evangelistic  labors  in 
New  England  and  New  York  he  used  Watts'  Psalms  and 
Hymns,  and  took  special  pleasure  in  hearing  "the  friends 
of  the  Redeemer  express  their  unqualified  attachment"  to 
them.^^  But  he  soon  felt  their  deficiencies  and  became 
aware  that  the  element  in  Congregational  and  Presbyterian 
churches  that  was  willing  to  cooperate  with  him  was  pre- 
cisely that  which  had  grown  dissatisfied  with  Watts  and 
wanted  a  change.  In  1820,  when  the  General  Association 
of  Connecticut  appointed  a  committee  to  devise  measures 
of  promoting  religion,  "the  first  item  proposed  was  a  New 
Selection  of  Hymns."  From  within  the  bounds  of  Albany 
Presbytery,  and  "very  extensively  in  the  West  and  South," 
the  call  for  such  a  work  was  "imperious  and  pressing."^^ 

Both  the  Association  and  the  Assembly  put  the  matter 
off.  At  length,  when  partially  laid  aside  by  illness,  Nettle- 
ton  prepared  and  published  in  1824  Village  Hymns  for 
social  worship.  Selected  and  original.  Designed  as  a  Supple- 
ment to  the  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  Dr.  Watts.  By  Asahel 
Nettleton  (New  York).  It  contained  600  Hymns.  Nettle- 
ton  was  indebted  to  Strong's  Hartford  Selection,^^ 
Worcester's  Select  Hymns,^^  and  to  Hymns  for  the  Monthly 
Concert,  printed  in  1823  by  Leonard  Bacon,  while  a  student 
at  Andover,  where  the  foreign  missionary  movement  had 
just  begun.  Bacon's  little  book  and  Nettleton's  "mission- 
ary" section  mark  the  beginning  of  American  Missionary 
Hymnody.^^  Of  the  Watts  school  Miss  Steele  had  the  largest 
representation  in  32  hymns;  but  Newton  was  the  favorite, 

"Preface  to  Village  Hymns.  ^^Ibid. 

''It  is  by  Nettleton's  ascriptions  of  authorship  that  7  of  Strong's 
hymns  and  4  of  Steward's,  taken  from  The  Hartford  Selection,  are 
now  identified. 

'^Worcester's  blundering  ascriptions  are  repeated  in  Village  Hymns. 

"*  "From  Greenland's  icy  mountains"  is  included.  It  had  appeared 
in  1823  in  the  reprinted  Christian  Observer,  and  in  The  Missionary 
Herald. 


376  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

and  the  selections  from  Olney  Hymns  constitute  one  eighth 
of  the  Village  Hymns.  There  were  also  nearly  a  s:ore 
from  the  Wesleys.  The  change  from  Watts  had  bee  i  so 
long  deferred  in  America  that  Nettleton  was  able  to  include 
some  writers  of  the  modern  school,  notably  Montgomery. 
He  sought  too  to  bring  forward  American  writers.  Of 
Abby  B.  Hyde's  nine  contributions,  "Dear  Saviour,  if  these 
lambs  should  stray"  is  best  remembered;  of  Phoebe  Brown's 
four,  "I  love  to  steal  awhile  away"  became  a  great  favorite. 
Of  that  indefatigable  hymn  writer,  William  B.  Tappan, 
Nettleton  inserted  "  'Tis  midnight,  and  on  Olive's  brow," 
but  somehow  missed  "There  is  an  hour  of  peaceful  rest," 
printed  in  1818,  and  destined  to  become  equally  popular. 

Nettleton  knew  a  good  hymn  when  he  saw  it,  and  pro- 
duced the  brightest  evangelical  hymn  book  yet  made  in 
xA.merica.  Revival  hymns  he  eschewed  as  at  best  ephemeral 
and  "unfit  for  the  ordinary  purposes  of  devotion — as 
prescriptions,  salutary  in  sickness,  are  laid  aside  on  the 
restoration  of  health. "^^  In  the  way  of  tunes  he  printed 
before  each  hymn  the  names  of  one  or  more  that  were 
suitable,  and  followed  Nathan  Strong's  lead  in  providing 
a  tune  book  {Zion's  Harp)  with  settings  of  the  hymns  in 
"particular  metres." 

The  soil  was  prepared  for  the  new  planting,  and  seven 
editions  of  Village  Hymns  sprang  up  within  three  years. 
Its  variety  and  vivacity  were  a  revelation  to  many  accus- 
tomed to  more  didactic  strains  and  gave  it  a  long  popularity. 
It  served  as  a  source  book  to  numerous  compilers,  who 
thus  spread  its  hymns  even  more  widely. 

Nettleton  lived  to  oppose  the  "new  measures"  and  "New 
School  Theology"  which  Finney  introduced  in  1826  into 
the  revival  in  the  Presbytery  of  Oneida,  New  York.  But 
with  Finney's  first  coming  to  New  York  city,  his  supporter 
Joshua  Leavitt,  late  a  Connecticut  pastor,  published  on 
March  6,  1830,  the  first  number  of  a  weekly,  The  Evan- 
gelist, "to  promote  revivals  of  religion."    In  the  number  for 

^'Preface. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  377 

October  2  he  began  to  print  specimen  hymns  and  tunes  of 
a  revival  hymn  book  to  be  issued  in  monthly  parts.  The 
first  six  parts  appeared  in  April,  1831,  as  The  Christian 
Lyre.  By  Joshua  Lcavitt.  Vol.  I.  New  York:  published 
by  Jonathan  Leavitt:  vol.  II  followed  in  October;  and  be- 
fore the  end  of  the  year  a  Supplement,  containing  "more 
than  one  hundred  Psalm  tunes,  such  as  are  most  used  in 
churches  of  all  denominations."  In  the  six  months  between 
the  appearing  of  the  first  and  second  volumes,  nine  editions 
of  the  first,  of  2,000  copies  each,  had  been  sold,^^  and  of 
the  whole,  bound  up  together  in  24mo,  the  eighteenth 
edition  appeared  in  1833;  the  twenty-sixth  in  1842. 

"Every  person  conversant  with  revivals  must  have  ob- 
served," Leavitt  said,  "that  wherever  meetings  for  prayer 
and  conference  assume  a  special  interest,  there  is  a  desire 
to  use  hymns  and  music  of  a  different  character  from  those 
ordinarily  heard  in  church. "^^  He  thought  Nettleton  had 
supplied  "in  a  good  degree"  the  church  need,  and  he  aimed 
to  supply  the  revival  need  with  somewhat  lighter  and  more 
songlike  hymns  with  rippling  rhythms  and  sometimes 
"chorusses."  But  the  tunes  which  carried  them  were  de- 
signedly the  feature  of  The  Christian  Lyre,  printed  as  they 
were  in  the  book  itself  on  the  page  opposite  the  words  of 
corresponding  hymns. 

By  this  time  there  had  arisen  a  movement  to  reform 
Church  Music,  of  whose  leaders  Lowell  Mason  had  Con- 
gregationalist,  and  Thomas  Hastings  Presbyterian,  affilia- 
tions. They  claimed  not  unnaturally  that  the  neglected 
condition  of  Congregational  Song  in  the  churches  was  due 
to   the   ignorance  and   indifference  of   Christian  people.'"'** 

"Note  prefixed  to  the  Supplement.  ^'Preface. 

"*  "Go  where  we  may  into  the  place  of  worship  .  .  .  when  the 
singing  commences  .  .  .  the  congregation  are  either  on  the  one  hand 
gazing  at  the  select  performers  to  admire  the  music,  or  on  the  other 
expressing  their  dissatisfaction  by  general  symptoms  of  restlessness. 
.  .  .  We  observe  everywhere  the  universal  appearance  of  restlessness 
or  relaxation."  Thos.  Hastings  in  Biblical  Repertory,  July,  1829,  pp. 
414,  415- 


378  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

They  set  themselves  the  task  of  reforming  it  by  lectures 
and  writings,  by  establishing  singing  schools  for  the  young, 
and  singing  classes  for  congregations,  and  by  training 
church  choirs  to  be  leaders  of  congregational  singing.  For 
their  use  Hastings  began  in  1816  and  Mason  in  1822  the 
publication  of  tune  books,  lengthening  out  with  their  lives 
into  a  very  extended  series.  Many  of  the  tunes  were  their 
own  composition,  Mason  especially  gauging  and  providing 
for  the  average  capacity  and  feeling  with  amazing  fertility 
and  success.  The  tunes  of  these  men  were  simple  but 
correct,  and  the  cardinal  principle  of  their  voluminous  ad- 
dresses, their  teaching  and  composition,  was  devoutness, 
to  which  all  else  was  subordinated.  Their  work  had  already 
begun  to  tell  upon  the  spirit  and  practice  of  congregational 
singing,  and  their  characteristic  type  of  hymn  tune  was 
becoming  familiar  and  appreciated.^*^ 

Leavitt  was  not  the  equal  of  these  men  in  musical  knowl- 
edge,^^ nor  one  with  them  in  method.  He  aimed  at  hearty 
revival  singing  and  the  gathering  of  a  brighter  sort  of  tunes 
than  those  in  the  oblong  tune  books  of  the  Hastings  and 
Mason  school.  To  secure  swinging  melodies  he  drew  freely 
upon  the  popular  songs  of  the  past  and  present  and  secured 
new  tunes  more  or  less  of  kin.  The  result  was,  on  a  smaller 
scale,  very  much  like  that  of  the  more  recent  enterprise 
of  Moody  and  Sankey.  A  fresh  impulse  was  given  to  sing- 
ing both  within  and  without  the  Church,  and  the  new 
hymns  and  tunes  threatened  to  make  their  way  into  the 
stated  church  services.  Criticism  and  protest  followed,  and 
it  seemed  to  many  that  Leavitt  had  debased  the  coin  of 
the  Kingdom.     The  church  press^^  and  church  authorities 

■""For  a  bibliography  of  Mason  to  1854  see  The  American  Journal 
of  Education,  Sept.,  1857,  p.  148:  for  a  study  of  the  careers  of  both 
see  F.  L.  Ritter,  Music  in  America,  New  York,  ed.  1895,  pp.  165-181. 

"He  had  to  defend  himself  against  the  charge  of  ignorance  of  the 
rudiments  of  musical  grammar  {The  Evangelist  for  Sept.  3,  1830) 
and  to  correct  often  the  two-part  music  of  early  editions  of  his  Lyre. 

"The  Christian  Spectator  welcomed  the  Lyr£,  especially  commending 
its  employment  of  secular  melodies    (vol.  iii,   1831,  pp.  664-672). 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  379 

were  divided  in  opinion,  and  no  interference  followed 
except  from  such  action  as  was  taken  by  parochial  authority. 
And  some  of  Leavitt's  tunes  came  in  course  of  time  to  be 
generally  regarded  as  not  incompatible  with  devoutness. 

To  Hastings  and  Mason  it  seemed  that  Leavitt  and  such 
as  he  were  threatening  to  undo  all  their  work.  "In  these 
enlightened  days  of  reform"  the  public  is  called  upon  "to 
recognize  in  the  current  love  songs,  the  vulgar  melodies  of 
the  street,  of  the  midnight  reveller,  of  the  circus  and  the 
ballroom,  the  very  strains  which  of  all  others,  we  are  told, 
are  the  best  adapted  to  call  forth  pure  and  holy  emotions, 
in  special  seasons  of  revival  !"^^  Mason  had  just  published 
for  use  in  church  service  a  full  collection  of  psalms  and 
hymns  as  Church  Psalmody  (Boston  and  Philadelphia, 
1831),*^  which  was  meeting  with  success.  And  now  with 
Hastings  he  began  the  publication  in  twelve  numbers,  of  a 
social  hymn  book,  with  the  tunes  printed  in  Leavitt's  man- 
ner, that  should  offset  the  evil  influences  of  The  Christian 
Lyre.  It  appeared  complete  as  Spiritual  Songs  for  social 
zi'orship:  adapted  to  the  use  of  families  and  private  circles 
in  seasons  of  revival,  to  missionary  meetings,  to  the 
monthly  concert,  and  to  other  occasions  of  special  interest. 
JVords  and  music  arranged  by  Thomas  Hastings,  of  Utica, 
and  Lozvell  Mason,  of  Boston  (Utica,  1832). 

This  little  book  will  always  have  a  place  in  American 
Hymnody,  if  only  for  its  originals,  which  included  Ray 
Palmer's  "My  faith  looks  up  to  Thee,"  Samuel  F.  Smith's 
"The  morning  light  is  breaking,"  and  very  many  of  Hast- 
ings, including  "Gently,  Lord,  O  gently  lead  us,"  "Hail 
to  the  brightness  of  Zion's  glad  morning,"  "How  calm 
and  beautiful  the  morn,"  and  "Return,  O  wand'rer,  to  thy 
home."^^     But  the  book  was  also  immediately  successful. 

^'Preface  to  Spiritual  Songs. 

** Manual  of  Christian  Psalmody  (Boston  and  Philadelphia,  1832) 
is  a  variant  of  this  book  for  Baptist  use. 

"Some  of  these  are  in  the  ed.  of  1833.  Hastings  became  one  of  the 
most  voluminous  American  hymn  writers.  Many  of  his  600  hymns  are 
in  his  Devotional  Hymns  and  religious  Poems  (N.  Y.,  1850). 


38o  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Its  fresh  Hymnody,  its  simple  melodies,  and  the  spirituality 
of  its  atmosphere,  fitted  it  to  meet  what  its  editors  regarded 
as  an  emergency,  and  its  success  helped  to  maintain  a  devout 
tone  in  the  less  formal  exercises  of  worship. 

All  of  the  hymn  books  just  considered  were  private  enter- 
prises and  without  ecclesiastical  sanction.  But  Congrega- 
tional churches  by  their  constitution,  and  Presbyterian 
churches  by  declaration  of  the  Assembly  of  1806,^*^  were 
quite  free  to  introduce  them  not  only  into  the  prayer  meet- 
ing but  into  the  church  service.  Many  did  so  for  the  sake 
of  their  warmer  hymns  or  appealing  tunes,  only  to  find 
the  little  books  quite  inadequate  to  meet  the  varied  demands 
of  church  use.  Such  use  had  however  made  the  newer 
Hymnody  familiar  in  many  congregations  and  increased  the 
demand  for  a  corresponding  enrichment  of  the  authorized 
Hymnody. 

2.    The  Era  of  Compromise  (1828-1857)  :  "Psalms  and 
Hymns" 

(i)      Presbyterian  Psalms  and  Hymns  (1831) 

The  Presbyterian  Church  had  authorized  nothing  since 
the  allowance  of  Watts'  Hymns  and  Dwight's  rescension 
of  his  Imitations,  with  its  appendage  of  hymns,  in  1802. 
Mindful  of  the  Psalmody  Controversy  and  aware  of  con- 
flicting opinions  within  its  borders,  it  had  never  ventured 
to  make  a  praise  book  of  its  own.  But  in  1819  a  proposal 
to  do  so  reached  the  Assembly.^^  The  Assembly  of  the 
year  following  decided  that  it  might  proceed  "without 
offending  any  of  our  churches,"  and  appointed  a  committee 
to  prepare  a  compilation  of  Psalms  and  "a  copious  collec- 
tion of  hymns  and  spiritual  songs  from  various  authors, 
giving  the  preference  to  those  now  authorized  [i.  e.  Watts' 
Hymns]  so  far  as  good  taste,  sound  sense,  and  enlightened 
piety  admit."^*    After  years  of  wrestling  with  the  deHcacies 

*^Minutes  of  General  Assembly,  1789-1820,  Phila.,  n.  d.,  p.  360. 
"Ibid.,  p.  716.  ^'Ibid.,  p.  740. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  381 

of  the  situation,  its  report  and  papers  were  put  into  the 
hands  of  a  committee  for  revision  and  pubHcation  ;""^  Dr. 
Archibald  Alexander  being  the  working  member  of  both 
committees. 

Its  book  was  printed  at  Princeton  by  William  M'Hart 
in  two  parts;  the  first  in  1828  as  Psalms  adapted  to  the 
public  zv  or  ship  of  the  Christian  Church,  the  second  in  1829 
as  Hymns  adapted  to  the  public  worship  of  the  Christian 
Church,^^  bound  up  in  mottled  sheep,  lettered  'Tsalms  and 
Hymns,"  and  presented  to  the  Assembly  of  1829,  who 
declined  it  as  it  stood, ^'^  recommitting  it  for  "some  necessary 
improvements  and  corrections."^^ 

These  being  made  the  book  was  accepted  in  1830,^^  though 
not  without  opposition,  and  published  as  Psalms  and  Hymns 
adapted  to  public  worship,  and  approved  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States 
of  America.  PhiladelpJiia:  published  for  the  General 
Assembly,  by  Solomon  Allen.  iS^i.  The  490  Hymns  of 
1829  have  become  531,  with  some  altered  texts;  otherwise 
the  books  are  the  same.  Dr.  Alexander's  preface  of  1829 
reveals  his  guiding  principles:  ist,  the  unsurpassed  excel- 
lence of  Watts'  Hymns,  and  the  predilection  for  them  of 
the  majority  of  serious  worshippers;  2nd,  a  sharp  dis- 
crimination between  hymns  that  are  or  are  not  suitable  for 
public  worship. 

The  collection  is  of  the  "Watts'  and  select"  type,  opening 
with  a  solid  body  of  199  of  his  hymns  that  make  two  fifths 
of  the  whole.  In  the  remainder  some  seventy  authors  can 
be  traced,  including  12  by  Charles  Wesley  and  27  from 
Olney  Hymns,  but  the  school  and  manner  and  monotonous 

"Mimites,  1821-1837,  Phila.,  n.  d.,  p.  237. 

'"It  would  be  interesting  to  know  Dr.  Alexander's  reason  for  thus 
avoiding  the  denominational  name. 

"The  Assembly  of  1831  was  puzzled  what  to  do  about  and  with  this 
repudiated  Princeton  edition  (Minutes,  p.  306).  Some  copies  were 
long  used  in  a   Philadelphia  colored  congregation. 

^^Minuies,  p.  272. 

"Ibid.,  p.  306. 


382  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

metres  of  Watts  so  predominate  as  to  produce  an  atmos- 
phere even  then  old-fashioned.  Dr.  Alexander  had  taken 
pains  to  gather  a  large  collection  of  hymns,  and  those 
excluded  by  his  canons  of  church  worship  he  proceeded  to 
publish  as  A  Selection  of  Hymns,  adapted  to  the  devotions 
of  the  closet,  the  family,  and  the  social  circle  .  .  .  monthly 
concerts  of  prayer  for  the  success  of  missions  and  Sun- 
day schools;  and  other  special  occasions  (New  York: 
Jonathan  Leavitt,  1831),  of  which  three  editions  were 
called  for. 

It  would  have  been  better  if  the  process  had  been  re- 
versed: if  "the  majority  of  serious  worshippers"  had  been 
left  to  the  enjoyment  of  Watts'  Hymns  without  unwelcome 
omissions,  and  Dr.  Alexander's  brighter  and  more  varied 
selection  had  been  authorized  for  use  by  those  in  full  sym- 
pathy with  the  newer  Hymnody.  As  it  was  the  Psalms 
and  Hymns  of  183 1  satisfied  neither  element  in  the  church; 
and  never  came  into  anything  like  general  use.^"*^  It  was 
the  only  hymn  book  made  by  the  undivided  Church,  and 
after  the  split  of  1837  commended  itself  to  neither 
"school.  "^^ 

(2)     Old  School  Psalms  and  Hymns  (1843) 

The  initial  Old  School  Assembly  in  1838  took  steps  for 
its  revision,  laboriously  accomplished  by  a  committee  whose 
proposed  book  aroused  in  the  Assembly  of  1842  "a  most 

"The  reports  of  the  Publishing  Agent,  so  far  as  given,  show  an 
edition  of  24,000  in  1831,  one  of  some  8000  in  1832,  one  of  some  4500 
in  1835,  and  one  of  5000  in  1837.  Minutes  of  Gen.  Ass.,  v.  d.  The 
communicants  in  1831  were  182,017. 

''^  "The  want  of  some  improvement  in  the  existing  Psalmody,  and 
particularly  of  an  enlarged  and  arranged  collection  of  Hymns  .  .  .  has 
for  a  considerable  time  been  felt  and  acknowledged."  Preface  to 
Psalms  and  Hymns,  1843.  This  "felt  want,"  as  expressed  by  numerous 
correspondents  of  The  Presbyterian,  was  quaintly  regarded  (outside) 
as  an  argument  for  the  exclusive  use  of  Psalms  in  two  articles  on 
"Psalmody  of  the  Presbyterian  Church"  in  The  Religious  Monitor  for 
April  and  May,  1840. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  383 

violent  though  happily  a  very  limited  opposition."^''  The 
book  was  sent  back  for  some  amendment  and  then  publica- 
tion, appearing  as  Psalms  and  Hymns  adapted  to  social, 
private,  and  public  worship  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  United  States  of  America.  Approved  and  authorized 
by  the  General  Assembly.  Philadelphia:  Presbyterian 
Board  of  Publication.  184^.  Of  the  531  hymns  of  183 1, 
419  were  retained,  and  261  were  added,  a  total  of  680.  It 
served  the  Old  School  body,  not  wholly  to  its  advantage, 
for  some  twenty-five  years;  provided  with  tunes  in  Hast- 
ings' The  Presbyterian  Psalmodist  (1852),  supplemented 
by  The  Presbyterian  Social  Psalmodist  (1857)  ^or  the 
lecture  room,  Hymns  for  Youth  ( 1 848 )  and  Nezv  Hymns 
for  Youth  (1855)  for  the  Sunday  school.  The  circulation 
of  the  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  1843  during  the  period  of 
its  use  reached  the  amazing  total  of  888,650  copies^'  in  a 
denomination  having  only  159,137  communicants  at  the 
date  of  its  publication. 

(3)  New  School  Psalms  and  Hymns  (1843) 
The  New  School  Presbyterians  naturally  included  the 
sympathizers  with  the  "new  measures"  and  "new  theology" 
of  the  Oneida  Revival  of  1826.  They  were  as  a  body  of 
more  independent  spirit  than  the  Old  School,  and  more 
jealous  of  a  centralized  church  control.  In  New  York 
State  and  the  Northwestern  states  fully  one  half  of  their 
congregations  had  declined  the  authorized  Psalms  and 
Hymns,  and  were,  before  the  division,  using  Worcester's 
Watts'  and  select,  Church  Psalmody,  or  one  of  the  hymn 
books  born  of  the  revival  spirit."^     One  of  the  leaders  both 

"""The  New  Hymn  Book"  in  Spirit  of  the  XIX.  Century  for  Dec, 
1842.  The  heated  proceedings  may  be  followed  in  the  Minutes  and  in 
an  account  in  The  Presbyterian  for  June  4,  1842.  For  a  precise 
"Documentary  History"  of  the  revision  see  Spirit  of  XIX.  Century 
for  Nov.  1843.  The  satisfaction  that  psalm  singers  took  in  the  debate 
is  frankly  expressed  in  The  true  Psalmody,  Phila.,  1859,  PP-  I57.  158. 

"Ms.  records  of  The  Board  of  Publication. 

°*C/.  an  undated  pamphlet,  Review  of  a  pamphlet  entitled  "Th^ 
Church  Psalmist,"  p.  5. 


384  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

of  the  Revival  and  the  new  denomination,  Dr.  Beman  of 
Troy,  had  already  published  Sacred  Lyrics:  or  select 
Hymns,  particularly  adapted  to  revivals  of  religion,  and 
intended  as  a  Supplement  to  Watts.  By  Nathan  S.  S. 
Beman.  Troy:  N.  Tuttle,  printer,  225  River-street,  1832: 
and  he  proceeded  to  publish  a  much  larger  collection  for 
church  use  as  Sacred  Lyrics,  or  Psalms  and  Hymns  adapted 
to  public  worship.  Selected  by  Nathan  S.  S.  Beman.  Troy, 
N.  v.:  published  by  A.  Kidder,  18 41. 

The  General  Assembly  of  1840  had  authorized  an  ad 
interim  committee  to  procure  "an  edition  of  Psalms  and 
Hymns"  for  general  use  without  expense  to  the  Assembly.^^ 
They,  under  arrangement  with  Dr.  Beman  and  his  publisher, 
adopted  his  Sacred  Lyrics  with  some  required  changes,  and 
published  it  as  Church  Psalmist;  or  Psalms  and  Hymns, 
for  the  public,  social,  and  private  use  of  evangelical  Chris- 
tians. New  York:  Mark  H.  Nezvman,  ipp  Broadway. 
1843.^^  It  was  accepted  and  recommended  to  the  churches 
without  opposition. ^^  Beman's  book  had  originally  been 
prepared  as  a  competitor  of  Worcester's  Watts'  and  select, 
aiming  to  omit  the  more  didactic  parts  of  Watts  and  to 
improve  the  lyrical  standard  of  hymns, 

A  more  formidable  rival  appeared  from  the  hands  of  a 
group  of  clergymen  who  in  connection  with  a  Philadelphia 
publisher,  had  taken  up  the  hymn  book  question  independ- 
ently. They  first  published  for  use  in  "evening  meetings" 
Parish  Hymns  for  public,  social,  and  private  worship 
(Philadelphia:  Perkins  &  Purves,  1843);  and  then  an 
extensive  collection  for  church  use,  Parish  Psalmody.  A 
Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  public  worship  (Phila- 
delphia: Perkins  and  Purves,  1844).  This  contained  "Dr. 
Watts's  versification  of  the  Psalms  of  David,  entire,"  200 

"'Minutes  (of  the  New  School  Branch),  1838-1838,  reprinted  Phila., 
1894,  pp.  99,  104. 

'"Beman  also  issued  the  Hymns  separately,  as  Social  Psalmist  (N. 
Y.,  Mark  H.  Newman,  1843). 

^^Ibid.,  pp.  128,  129. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  385 

of  his  hymns  and  nearly  500  other  hymns.  It  appealed 
to  those  who  resented  Dr.  Beman's  treatment  of  Watts 
and  resented  yet  more  his  undoubted  lobbying  in  the  in- 
terests of  a  book  which  was  his  copyright  property.  Both 
books  were  edited  by  Seth  Collins  Brace,  just  licensed  by 
Wilmington  Presbytery,  later  a  Congregationalist.^^  He 
wrote  hymns  for  it  and  secured  original  contributions  from 
Mrs.  Lydia  H.  Sigourney,  Ray  Palmer  and  Dr.  George 
W.  Bethune. 

An  open  war  followed  the  appearance  of  Parish 
Psalmody.  Fourteen  Philadelphia  churches,  and  many 
beyond,  adopted  it,  numerous  Presbyteries  and  two  Synods 
commended  it,  and  an  array  of  pastoral  recommendations 
was  obtained.*'^  Dr.  Beman  appeared  before  the  Assembly 
of  1846  in  the  interests  of  uniformity  of  Praise,  and  secured 
a  renewed  recommendation  of  the  Church  Psalmist. ^'^  In 
the  ensuing  pamphlet  controversy  the  publishers  of  Parish 
Psalmody  had  the  best  of  it,  but  in  the  end  Dr.  Beman 
prevailed.  In  1857  the  Publication  Committee  purchased 
the  book  outright,  and  the  large  Supplement  of  "such 
hymns  as  may  be  necessary  to  make  the  work  complete  " 
then  arranged  for  seems  to  have  been  intended  to  conciliate 
the  opponents  of  the  Church  Psalmist. '^^ 

Thenceforward  the  Church  Psalmist  was  more  generally 
regarded  as  the  official  praise  book  of  the  New  School 
body,  and  a  selection  of  its  hymns  for  prayer  meetings 
was  published  in  1865  as  Social  Hymn  and  Tune  Book  for 
the  lecture  room  &c.  Even  so  uniformity  was  not  secured. 
A  special  report  by  Dr.  Beman  to  the  Assembly  of  1863 
regretfully  announced  that  some  fifteen  hymn  books  beside 
his  own  were  "in  use  in  our  churches. "^^ 

"'S.  W.  Duffield,  English  Hymns:  their  authors  and  history,  2nd 
ed..  Funk  and  Wagnalls,  1886,  p.  359. 

"^See  the  Review  of  a  pamphlet,  pp.  44-58. 

'^Minutes,  1838-1858,  p.  154.  For  the  debate  see  Review  of  a  pam- 
phlet, pp.  14,  IS. 

"'''Minutes,  p.  580. 

^'Special  Report,  Phila.  [1863],  p.  14. 


386  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

(4)     Presbyterian  Hymnody  in  the  '40s 

A  modern  hymnologist  has  somewhat  misapprehended 
the  actual  conditions  of  Presbyterian  Hymnody  in  this 
period,  in  saying, — 

"The  Presbyterian  body  has  always  included  a  large  proportion  of 
the  intelligence,  culture  and  learning  in  these  United  States;  and  yet 
it  long  sat  contented  under  the  weight  of  those  marvels  of  decorous 
dullness,  the  'Psalms  and  Hymns'  of  1843,  and  the  'Church  Psalmist' 
of  1847  (sic).  Short  of  vulgarity  and  eccentricity,  it  would  not  be 
easy  to  find  two  more  painful  compilations;  but  they  have  been  super- 
seded only  within  the  last  twenty  years  or  so."" 

This  criticism  fails  to  take  any  account  of  the  independ- 
ence of  New  School  churches  and  their  use  of  other  books. 
But  doubtless  these  two  and  Parish  Psalmody  represent 
the  general  state  of  Presbyterian  Hymnody  in  the  '40s. 
The  waves  of  revival  that  had  quickened  congregational 
singing  had  spent  their  force;  the  little  hymn  books  of  the 
revival  time  had  lived  their  day ;  and  there  was  a  tendency 
to  fall  back  upon  "Watts'  and  select. "*^^  But  even  so  the 
three  books  represent  not  what  the  people  cared  to  sing, 
but  what  their  pastors  thought  good  for  them. 

It  was  the  clergy  who  made  and  used  these  ponderous 
compilations  of  Psalms  and  Hymns.  The  books  were 
ponderous  because  the  leaders  of  the  Church  were  still 
under  the   weight   of  the   Metrical    Psalmody  tradition,^^ 

"Rev.  Fred.  M.  Bird  in  The  Churchman,  August  3,  1889. 

**C/.  M.  J.  Hickok,  pastor  of  Washington  St.  Church,  Rochester,  in 
Review  of  a  pamphlet  (p.  57)  : — "We  had  tried  several  experiments. 
.  .  .  The  Village  Hymns,  linked  with  so  many  pleasant  memories  to 
all  the  natives  of  New  England,  were  found  to  be  so  far  behind  the 
age,  that  their  sweet  savor  of  revivals,  and  early  Christian  experience, 
could  not  redeem  them  from  neglect.  We  obtained  the  Sacred  Songs, 
but  a  short  experience  convinced  us  that  they  were  far  too  limited  in 
their  range,  for  all  the  purposes  of  devotion."  He  proceeds  to  narrate 
his  adoption  of  Parish  Hymns  and  his  hope  of  introducing  the  larger 
Parish  Psalmody. 

"'  "This  General  Assembly  .  .  .  totally  disapprove  of  those  books 
of  Psalmody  which,  in  their  arrangement,  blot  out  the  distinction 
between  those  songs  of  devotion  which  are  God-inspired  and  those 
which  are  man-inspired."  N.  S.  Assembly,  1863 :  Minutes  (of  the 
N.  S.  branch),  vol.  ii,  Philadelphia,  1894,  p.  234. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  387 

and  the  older  generation  wished  to  retain  a  large  body  of 
Watts'  Hymns,  while  joining  the  younger  in  demanding 
an  ample  representation  of  the  newer  Hymnody.  The 
books  were  didactic  because  the  concern  of  the  clergy  was 
mainly  for  the  doctrinal  aspects  of  hymns/*'  and  practically 
all  the  clergy  used  them  to  enforce  the  points  of  their 
sermons  ;^^  and  being  thus  didactic  were  dull  but  not  so 
dull  as  Mr.  Bird  thinks ;  brightened  rather  with  many  choice 
hymns  of  the  Evangelical  Revival  and  of  later  time,  which 
the  Church  still  likes  to  sing. 

It  would,  however,  be  more  true  to  say  that  "the  Presby- 
terian body"  sat  unconcerned  than  that  it  "sat  contented" 
under  these  ponderous  books.  With  the  hymn  books  not 
only  dull  but  misapprehended  and  misused  in  the  pulpit, 
and  the  constantly  changing  tune  books  confined  entirely 
to  the  choir  loft,  the  congregations  had  fallen  into  the  habit 
of  leaving  the  choir  to  do  all  the  singing."^-  And  the  pre- 
dominant movement  for  the  "improvement  of  Psalmody" 
was  that  for  supplanting  the  simple  melodies  of  the  Lowell 
Mason  school  by  sacred  quartets  in  that  parlor-music  type 

™This  appears  in  the  discussions  of  the  time.  In  Review  of  a 
pamphlet,  for  instance,  the  Church  Psalmist  is  charged  with  sup- 
pressing "native  depravity"  (p.  27)  and  with  a  scarcity  of  allusions  to 
the  "eternity  of  punishment"  (pp.  29,  30).  Among  the  grounds  for 
recommending  Parish  Psalmody,  one  synod,  three  presbyteries  two 
pastoral  associations  and  twelve  divines  specify  its  inclusion  of  the 
Confession  of  Faith  and  Catechism  (pp.  44  ff-)-  .     •    a 

"  "It  is  now  a  rare  thing,  in  some  of  our  congregations,  to  be  invited 
to  unite  in  a  single  Psalm  or  hymn  that  is  distinctively  one  of  praise. 
If  the  preacher  design  to  discourse  to  us  upon  some  point  of  doc- 
trinal theology,  or  to  present  us  with  some  peculiar  phase  of  religious 
experience,  or  to  exhort  the  impenitent  ...  he  seeks  in  all  his  psalm- 
ody to  enforce  his  teachings."  Henry  Darling,  "Worship  as  an  Element 
of   Sanctuary  Service,"  Pres.  Quar.  Rev.,  April,   1862,  and  separately, 

p.  20. 

"A  writer  on  "Church  Music"  in  The  Princeton  Review  for  Jan. 
1843  (the  year  of  the  Old  School  Assembly's  Psalms  and  Hymns), 
describes  congregational  singing  as  neither  general  nor  devout  in 
churches  having  a  precentor  (p.  89),  and  as  "how  often"  non-existent 
in  churches  having  a  choir   (p.  90- 


388  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

of    choir    tunes    for    which    Henry    W.    Greatorex    was 
sponsor. 

li  the  authorized  Presbyterian  Hymnody  thus  looked 
backward  in  its  devotion  to  metrical  Psalmody  and  to  Watts, 
both  the  Old  School  and  New  School  collections  neverthe- 
less marked  an  advance  in  the  appropriation  of  the  newer 
Hymnody.  Dr.  Beman  certainly  would  have  been  cha- 
grined to  foresee  his  Church  Psalmist  coupled  with  the 
Old  School  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  1843,  under  a  common 
charge  of  "decorous  dulness."  In  intention,  to  say  the 
least,  he  belonged  with  the  literary  movement  already  begun 
elsewhere,  and  aimed  to  get  away  from  the  didactic  type 
of  hymn  and  to  cement  an  alliance  between  Lyrical  Poetry 
and  Presbyterian  Hymnody. 

(5)      CONGREGATIONALIST    PSALMS   AND    HyMNS 
(1836-1845) 

It  is  quite  certain  that  the  Congregationalist  Hymnody 
of  the  time  was  not  in  advance  of  the  Presbyterian,  and 
that  it  was  of  no  greater  interest  to  the  people.  At  the 
close  of  the  extended  tour  of  the  churches  made  by  the 
British  deputies,  Dr.  Reed  reported  that 

"The  singing  generally,  and  universally  with  the  Congregationalists, 
is  not  congregational.  It  is  a  performance  entrusted  to  a  band  of 
singers,  more  or  less  skilful.  .  .  .  You  have  the  sense  of  being  a  spec- 
tator and  auditor;  not  of  a  participant;  and  this  is  destructive  of  the 
spirit  of  devotion."  " 

In  the  way  of  hymn  books  some  churches  adopted  Hast- 
ings and  Patton's  The  Christian  Psalmist  (New  York, 
1836),  which  appears  on  the  title  page  as  another  "Watts' 
and  select."  More  were  using  Mason  and  Greene's  Church 
Psalmody,  a  compilation  of  no  less  than  454  psalms  and 

'^A.  Reed  and  J.  Matheson,  A  narrative  of  the  visit  to  the  American 
churches  by  the  deputation  from  the  Congregational  Union  of  Eng- 
land and  Wales,  New  York,  1835,  vol.  ii,  pp.  82,  83.  As  to  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  same  conditions  through  the  '40s,  see  F.  A.  Adams, 
"Congregational  Singing,"  in  The  New  Englandcr,  February,   1849. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  389 

731  hymns,  of  which  421  are  from  Watts.  Mason's  book 
was  approved  by  the  Pastoral  Association  of  Massachu- 
setts^'* for  its  rich  additions  to  Hymnody,  but  its  professed 
disregard  of  the  authors'  texts,  its  excisions  and  alterations 
in  the  supposed  interests  of  music,  should  have  put  it  beyond 
the  bounds  of  their  tolerance.  The  great  dependence  was 
on  the  cumbrous  Worcester's  Watts'  and  select,  which,  said 
Charles  Beecher,  even  as  late  as  1863,  "still  weighs  down 
the  psalmody  of  some  antediluvian  districts  like  a  night- 
mare."^^ 

In  Connecticut  the  proposal  of  1820  for  a  new  hymn 
book  was  not  taken  up.  In  1833  Dr.  Bacon  issued  Addi- 
tional Hymns  to  be  bound  up  with  "Dwight's  Watts"  still 
in  general  use ;  and  eventually  Dwight  was  superseded  by 
Psalms  and  Hymns,  for  Christian  use  and  zvorship;  pre- 
pared and  set  forth  by  the  General  Association  of  Con- 
necticut. New  Haven:  Durrie  and  Peck.  1845.  This  book 
was  among  the  largest;  containing  1203  numbers.  The 
hymns,  numbering  705,  were  also  set  forth  separately  as 
Chapel  Hymns.  They  are  in  the  main  the  standard  Evan- 
gelical Hymns,  with  a  preponderance  of  Watts,  whose  con- 
tributions constitute  five-twelfths  of  the  whole.  But  some 
seventy  hymns  were  taken  from  English  collections  new 
in  this  country,  and  for  it  Leonard  Bacon  recast  his  "O 
God,  beneath  Thy  guiding  hand,"  and  wrote  four  other 
hymns. ^^  The  new  hymn  book  had  thus  a  progressive  as 
well  as  a  conservative  side.  It  fitly  closed  the  compromise 
period  of  "Psalms  and  Hymns,"  and  carried  the  Connecticut 
churches  up  to  the  time  when  the  tunes  were  put  into  the 
hands  of  the  people,  and  real  progress  in  congregational 
singing  was  thus  made  possible. 

'*See  New  England  Puritan,  Nov.   18,   1841. 

'''Autobiography  of  Lyman  Beecher,  New  York,  ed.  1865,  vol.  ii, 
p.  150. 

'"Dr.  Bacon  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  the  new  hymn  book. 
While  it  was  preparing  the  Revs.  Horace  Hooker  and  Oliver  E. 
Daggett  gave  their  whole  time  to  its  editing.  Daggett  has  an  account 
of  "The  New  Hymn  Book"  in  The  New  Englander  for  July,  1846. 


390  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

IV 

HYMN    SINGING    IN    THE    PROTESTANT    EPIS- 
COPAL CHURCH 

I.     The  Beginning  of  Hymn  Singing  (1786) 

The  Church  of  England  congregations  in  the  American 
colonies  imported  their  prayer  books,  and  sang  the  metrical 
psalms  bound  in  at  the  end,  whether  Sternhold  and  Hopkins' 
Old  Version  or  Tate  and  Brady's  Nezv  Version.  In  some 
parishes  no  doubt  before  the  Revolution  an  occasional  hymn 
was  given  out  from  the  Supplement  to  the  New  Version 
or  some  other  source. 

The  first  step  toward  forming  these  congregations  into 
a  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  was  taken  in  1784.  In 
September  of  the  following  year  a  convention  representing 
seven  states  met  in  Christ  Church,  Philadelphia,  and  applied 
themselves  to  making  necessary  changes  in  the  Prayer  Book 
and  proposing  improvements  of  the  service  and  statements 
of  doctrine.'^'^  The  embodiment  of  these  alterations  was 
left  to  Drs.  William  White,  afterward  bishop,  William 
Smith  and  C.  H.  Wharton;"^  who  issued  The  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  .  .  .  as  revised  and  proposed  to  the  use 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  at  a  convention  of  the 
said  Church  .  .  .  (Philadelphia:  Hall  and  Sellers,  1786). 

The  preface  to  this  "Proposed  Book"  cites  both  as  a 
warrant  and  platform  certain  proposals  for  revision  in 
William  and  Mary's  time  (1689)  that  included  the  addition 
of  hymns  and  anthems  from  the  Prophets  and  the  New 
Testament  to  the  metrical  psalms,  the  better  to  provide 
for  the  heads  and  occasions  of  Christian  worshipJ^  In 
accord  with  which,  the  preface  goes  on  to  say: — 

"A  selection  is  made  of  the  .  .  .  singing  Psalms  .  .  .  and  a  collec- 

"Cf.  William  White,  Memoirs  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
2nd  ed..  New  York,  1836,  pp.  21-23. 

^*Wm.  Stevens  Perry,  Journals  of  the  General  Conventions,  Clare- 
mont,  N.  H.,  1874,  vol.  i,  p.  28. 

"Preface,  pp.   [7,  8]. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  391 

tion  of  hymns  are  added,  upon  those  evangelical  subjects  and  other 
heads  of  christian  worship,  to  which  the  psalms  of  David  are  less 
adapted,  or  do  not  generally  extend."  *" 

The  selection  thus  offered  in  lieu  of  the  complete  Psalter 
is  numbered  I-LXXXIV,  arranged  in  groups  under  gen- 
eral heads ;  and  followed  by  a  group  of  fifty-one  hymns, 
introduced  by  this  rubric : — 

"HHymns  suited  to  the  Feasts  and  Fasts  of  the  CHURCH,  and  other 
Occasions  of  public  Worship;  to  be  used  at  the  discretion  of  the 
Minister." 

These  proposals  invite  attention ;  for,  while  the  Proposed 
Book  never  was  ratified,  its  provision  for  Congregational 
Praise  passed  substantially  into  the  church  constitution  and 
has  determined  its  practice  till  the  present  day.  The  pro- 
posals had  really  no  precedent  in  those  of  1689,  which  con- 
templated nothing  more  than  the  addition  of  other  Bible 
Songs  to  the  Psalms.  And  they  had  no  precedent  in  the 
contemporaneous  movements  to  introduce  hymns  into  the 
Church  of  England.  The  English  movements  were  private 
enterprises;  for  even  the  singing  of  metrical  psalms  had 
never  secured  ecclesiastical  recognition  as  a  part  of  the 
Prayer  Book  system  of  worship.  The  American  proposals 
gave  the  singing  of  psalms  and  hymns  the  status  of  a 
church  ordinance;  and  in  the  Proposed  Book  as  printed 
they  appear  as  an  integral  part  of  the  book  itself,  followed 
by  the  rubric,  "End  of  the  Prayer  Book."^^ 

Of  these  related  proposals  the  more  significant  is  that 
for  singing  hymns.     It  brought  about  what  Bishop  White 

''Ibid.,  p.  [13]. 

*^Dr.  Smith  wrote  Dr.  White  (30  Jan.  1786),  basing  the  Com- 
mittee's right  to  introduce  hymns  on  the  ground  of  their  being  only 
a  "Supplement,"  and  that  neither  Psalms  nor  Supplement  "are  more 
than  an  Exercise  of  our  best  Discretion  in  the  Work  committed  to 
us,  and  not  an  essential  Part  of  our  reformed  Liturgy."  (Journals, 
vol.  iii,  p,  155).  Dr.  White  replied  (Feb.  i)  :  "In  ye  old  Book  [the 
Psalms]  were  no  Part  of  ye  common  Prayer,  but  were  only  used  by  ye 
Royal  Permission;  with  us,  as  I  conceive,  they  are  to  be  part  of  ye 
Liturgy"  (p.  157).  In  this  judgment  (which  he  afterward  reversed) 
he  seems  to  include  the  hymns. 


392  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

called  "a  most  remarkable  change,"  by  which  the  psalm 
singing  Church  of  his  youth  became  the  hymn  singing 
Church  of  his  maturity.^^  In  some  other  communions  such 
a  change  was  regarded  as  revolutionary  and  accomplished 
with  distress.  And  it  is  interesting  to  inquire  how  it  hap- 
pened without  any  disturbance. 

The  explanation  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  change  was 
effected  not  in  open  convention  nor  in  committee-room, 
but  through  correspondence  between  two  men;  one  of 
whom,  William  Smith,  was  determined  to  introduce  hymn 
singing  into  the  new  Church. 

In  reading  the  passages  dealing  with  this  matter  in  the 
Proposed  Book's  preface,  as  already  quoted,  we  seem  to 
be  listening  to  the  united  voice  of  the  delegates  from  seven 
States  proposing  an  innovation.  In  reality  the  preface  was 
not  prepared  in  convention,  but  by  Dr.  Smith  himself.^^ 
The  suggestion  that  hymns  be  added  to  the  psalms  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  proposed,  much  less  debated,  in 
the  Convention  of  1785,  whose  only  action  in  the  premises 
was  that  the  Committee  to  prepare  the  book 

"Be  authorized  to  publish,  with  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  such 
of  the  reading  and  singing  Psalms,  and  such  a  Kalendar  of  proper 
lessons  for  the  different  Sundays  and  Holy-days  throughout  the  year, 
as  they  may  think  proper."  ^^* 

But  within  a  few  days  after  adjournment  Dr.  Smith 
proposes  to  his  colleague  Dr.  White  that  there  be  added  to 
the  metrical  psalms  "some  of  Watts'  best  Psalms,  and 
Hymns  for  the  Festivals  and  other  Occasions,"  expressing 
a  hope  that  "some  may  be  offered  by  Members  of  our  own 
Church  in  America,  who  are  distinguished  for  their  Poetical 
Talents. "^^  It  was  Dr.  Smith  who  selected  all  the  hymns, 
forwarding  them  to  Dr.  White,  with  the  plea  that  "multi- 
tudes of  our  most  serious  and  religious  members"  would 
favor  their  introduction,  and  adding  with  Scottish  prudence 

*^See  his  note  NN  in  Memoirs  already  referred  to. 

^^Journals,  vol.  iii,  p.  148,  and  see  p.  200.  ^*Ibid.,  vol.  i,  p.  28. 

^'Letter  of  "October,  1785";  Journals,  vol.  iii,  p.  127. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  393 

that  they  would  help  to  sell  the  forthcoming  book.  He 
assured  Dr.  White  that  all  the  hymns,  except  a  few  from 
Watts,  had  "long  been  in  Use  in  the  Church"  in  the  Supple- 
ment to  Tate  and  Brady  or  collections  of  religious  societies; 
and  as  for  Watts'  "you  know  Dr.  Johnson  gives  them  a 
high  name."^*' 

Dr.  White's  share  in  the  project  went  no  further  than 
a  verbal  criticism  and  a  final  approval  of  the  hymns  laid 
before  him.  He  did  indeed,  with  the  support  of  Francis 
Hopkinson,  then  widely  regarded  as  a  specialist  in 
Psalmody,  venture  an  objection  against  including  certain 
extracts  from  metrical  psalms  among  the  hymns.  Dr. 
Smith  replied : 

"I  pay  great  Regard  to  the  Judgment  of  Mr.  Hopkinson,"  but  "some 
Dependence  on  my  own  Judgment  also,  and  should  be  happy  if  you 
and  the  other  Gentlemen  could  agree  to  have  the  Specimen  of  Hymns 
offered  to  the  public  with  as  few  deviations  as  possible  from  the  Plan 
which  upon  great  Deliberation  I  have  submitted  to  you,  and  Dr. 
Wharton,  if  he  can  be  consulted."" 

"I  give  up,"  Dr.  White  said,  "my  sentiment  respecting 
ye  hymnifying  ye  Psalms. "^^  The  introduction  of  hymns 
did  not  in  fact  personally  appeal  to  him.  He  had  accepted 
Dr.  Smith's  representations  that  the  churches  demanded 
and  should  have  some  hymns,  though  aware  that  the  com- 
mittee were  "extending  their  powers  pretty  far."^^  But 
personally  he  was  a  confirmed  psalm  singer,  and  gained  the 
repute  of  never,  unless  at  Christmas,  having  given  out  a 
hymn  at  Christ  Church  to  the  end  of  his  life.^*^  His  real 
concern  in  1786  as  in  1826  was  to  keep  down  the  number 
of  authorized  hymns  to  the  lowest  point  practicable.^^ 

*°Jan.  23,  1786,  Ibid.,  vol.  iii,  pp.  151-153.  ^Ubid.,  p.  164. 

^^Ibid.,  p.  167.  ^^ Memoirs  of  the  P.  E.  Church,  p.  108. 

'"Cf.  H.  W.  Smith,  Life  and  Correspondence  of  the  Rev.  William 
Smith,  D.D.,  Phila.,  1880,  vol.  ii,  p.  221,  note.  This  is  not  incon- 
sistent with  his  fondness  for  certain  hymns  as  sacred  poetry,  and  his 
wish  to  have  them  read  in  his  last  hours.  See  J.  H.  Ward,  Life  and 
Times  of  Bishop  White,  N.  Y.,  1892,  pp.  171,  172. 

""•See  his  Memoirs  of  the  P.  E.  Church,  p.  257,  and  the  document 
at  p.  384. 


394  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Dr.  Smith  himself  had  no  love  for  the  "Methodists"  in 
the  Church  of  England  who  were  introducing  evangelical 
hymn  books  into  extra-parochial  services.  But  he  had 
watched  the  spread  of  Wesleyan  Methodism  in  Maryland, 
and  wrote  Dr.  White  that  "the  Methodists  captivate  many 
by  their  attention  to  Church  Music,  and  by  their  Hymens 
and  Doxologies,  which  when  rationally  and  devoutly  intro- 
duced are  sublime  Parts  of  public  and  private  worship. "^^ 
His  own  collection,  though  larger  than  at  first  intended,^^ 
is  hardly  more  than  a  supplement  to  the  Psalter,  such  as 
the  more  progressive  psalm  singers  in  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land favored.  Indeed  the  Supplement  to  the  New  Version 
furnished  7  of  the  51  hymns,  and  the  Hymns,  Anthems 
and  Tunes  used  at  the  Magdalen  ChapeP^  furnished  no  less 
than  14,  if  we  include  its  4  by  Addison,  which  Dr.  Smith 
already  knew  in  The  Spectator. ^^  But  Watts,  with  12 
numbers,  had  the  largest  representation  of  any  single 
author.^*'  The  only  American  contributions  were  psalms 
adapted  to  July  4th  and  "the  first  Thursday  of  November" 
by  Francis  Hopkinson,^^  who  also  arranged  the  "half- 
sheet"  of  engraved  tunes  appended  at  a  cost  alarming  to 
Dr.  White.®^  The  Hymns  of  1786  represent  no  dogmatic 
basis,  but  simply  a  desire  to  cover  New  Testament  occasions 
with  New  Testament  hymns. 

The  Proposed  Book  made  few  friends  and  had  a  very 
limited  use.^^     Its  failure  being  assured,  the  main  duty  of 

"■Journals,  vol.  iii,  p.  151-  "^Ihid.,  p.  151. 

"From  this  source  "Hark,  my  -gay  friend,  that  solemn  toll"  was 
chosen,  and  Bishop  Ken's  three  hymns  were  left. 

"^Journals,  vol.  iii,  p.  152. 

"Dr.  Smith's  remark  that  "even  some  of  Watts's  are  not  new  in 
our  Church,"  creates  the  impression  that  some  of  the  parishes  had 
employed  his  Psalms  and  Hymns  before  the  Revolution. 

'''Journals,  vol.  iii,  pp.  167,   177.  ^-Jbid.,  p.  162. 

""Dr.  Smith  speaks  of  the  pleasure  his  Maryland  congregations  took 
in  the  Good  Friday  and  Easter  Hymns,  but  especially  in  two  Com- 
munion Hymns  as  adding  "a  Solemnity  which  they  confess'd  they  had 
not  experienc'd  before."  "Have  you  yet  introduced  them  in  this  way?" 
he  asks  Dr.  White.    Journals,  i,   19-I. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  395 

the  Convention  of  1789,  now  sitting  as  two  houses,  was 
to  prepare  and  adopt  a  prayer  book.  The  new  book  was 
ratified  in  October  i6th  of  that  year,  appearing  as  The 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  .  .  .  according  to  the  use  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  of 
America  (Philadelphia:  Hall  and  Sellers,   1790). 

The  Bishops  took  the  initiative  in  "the  form  and  manner 
of  setting  forth  the  Psalms  in  metre,"^'^*^  and  raised  no 
question  as  to  the  inclusion  of  some  hymns.  They  appeared 
in  the  Prayer  Book  of  1790  with  a  separate  title-page,  as 
The  whole  Book  of  Psalms,  in  metre;  with  Hymns,  suited 
to  the  feasts  and  fasts  of  the  Church,  and  other  occasions 
of  public  zvorship  (Philadelphia:  Hall  and  Sellers).  This 
title  is  meant  to  emphasize  the  return  to  a  complete 
Psalter.^'*^  Such  return  was  contrary  to  Bishop  White's 
taste.  He  favored  discrimination  in  using  the  Psalms  in 
Christian  worship,^"^  but  had  become  convinced  that  no 
selection  could  satisfy  everybody. ^"^ 

But  in  dealing  with  Dr.  Smith's  "Supplement  of  Hymns" 
he  found  his  opportunity.  The  House  of  Bishops  in  1789 
was  only  Seabury  and  himself,  and  by  dropping  the  "hymni- 
fied  Psalms"  he  had  objected  to  in  1786,  by  curtailing  the 
provision  for  feasts  and  fasts,  and  by  omitting  "Hark !  my 
gay  friend,"  he  reduced  the  hymns  from  the  51  of  the 
Proposed  Book  to  the  27  of  1790.  The  hymns  were  still 
of  Dr.  Smith's  selection,  and  indeed  suffered  little  from 
curtailment  by  the  bishop. 

The  ratification  of  this  book  set  the  Church's  seal  upon 
Dr.  Smith's  original  proposal  of  hymn  singing  as  a  church 
ordinance.  These  27  hymns  are  "set  forth,  and  allowed  to 
be  sung  in  all  congregations  .  .  .  before  and  after  Morning 
and  Evening  Prayer;  and  also  before  and  after  Sermons, 

'""Journals,  vol.  i,  p.  ii9-     See  p.  in. 

'"The  title  is  misleading.  The  whole  Bookc  of  Psalmes  collected 
into  English  mcetre  had  been  the  title  of  the  Old  Version  since  1562, 
but  the  Psalter  here  set  forth  was  the  New  Version  of  Tate  and  Brady. 

'"'Memoirs  of  P.  E.  Church,  p.  108.  '"'Ibid.,  pp.  384,  385. 


396  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

at  the  discretion  of  the  Minister. "^°*  This  assumed  the 
Convention's  prerogative  of  selecting  specific  Psalm  versions 
and  hymns  for  use,  and  seemed  to  carry  the  implication  that 
parishes  were  to  be  confined  to  them.  And  such  has  been 
the  more  general  interpretation  of  the  situation  till  now.^°^ 
The  attitude  thus  assumed  was  in  sharp  contrast  to  what 
Bishop  White  called  the  "unbounded  license"  that  grew 
up  under  the  peculiar  tenure  of  Psalmody  in  the  Church  of 
England;  a  freedom  that  entailed  some  disadvantages  but 
proved  a  golden  opportunity  for  the  development  of  Eng- 
lish Hymnody. 

The  separate  title  page  to  the  Psalms  and  Hymns  in  1790 
was  presumably  to  distinguish  them  from  the  Prayer  Book 
proper,  though  the  colophon,  "End  of  the  Prayer  Book," 
still  followed  the  Hymns.  In  1791  this  became  simply 
"The  End" ;  and  the  distinction  between  Prayer  Book  and 
Psalms,  &c.  bound  in  was  settled  by  Convention  in  1820.^*^^ 
This  distinction  was  practically  important,  because  it  left 
the  Hymnody  open  to  improvement,  without  arousing  the 
strong  feelings  involved  in  Prayer  Book  revision. 

2.     The  Evangelical  Period  (1789-1858) 

To  those  wishing  to  use  hymns  the  diminutive  allowance 
of  1789  was  no  more  than  a  thin  wedge  inserted  in  a 
fissure  of  the  ancient  Psalmody,  and  pressure  began  at  once 
with  a  view  of  widening  the  aperture.  The  vestry  of  Trinity 
Church,  Boston,  impatient  of  the  contrast  of  the  Church's 
provision  with  the  rich  abundance  of  Jeremy  Belknap's 
Sacred  Poetry  used  by  their  neighbors,  decided  not  to  wait 
upon  the  General  Convention  for  relief,  and  issued  on  their 
own    account    Hymns   selected   from    the   most   approved 

"^Certificate  on  verso  of  title  page,  1790.  Bishop  White's  hand 
appears  in  the  accompanying  provision  that  the  minister  shall  control 
the  tunes  and  suppress  "all  light  and  unseemly  music."  Cf.  his 
Thoughts  on  the  singing  of  Psalms  and  Anthems,  1808. 

^°^Such  authority  has  been  questioned  by  S.  D.  McConnell,  History  of 
the  American  Episcopal  Church,  Phila.,  ed.  1897,  pp.  271,  272. 

^"'^ Journals,  vol.  i,  pp.  557,  558:  White,  Memoirs,  p.  45. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  397 

authors,  for  the  use  of  Trinity  Church,  Boston  (Boston, 
1808).^"^  It  had  152  hymns,  the  first  27  being  those  of 
1789.  Its  devotion  to  Anne  Steele,  evidenced  by  the  incUi- 
sion  of  57  of  her  hymns,  has  already  been  noted.  With 
these  may  be  grouped  23  of  Watts  and  10  of  Doddridge 
as  representing  the  Evangelical  side  of  Hymnody.  In  con- 
trast are  18  from  recent  collections  of  English  Arians,  and 
3  of  the  Swedenborgian  Joseph  Proud.  This  motley  com- 
plexion of  the  book  is  no  more  than  a  reflection  of  Belk- 
nap's, from  whose  collection  the  hymns  were  taken. ^"^ 

The  Maryland  Convention  proceeded  in  a  more  orderly 
way  by  instructing  its  deputies  to  the  General  Convention 
of  1808  "to  enforce  the  necessity  of  adopting  an  additional 
number  of  hymns. "^"^'^  Thirty  additional  hymns  were 
allowed,  but  with  the  rider  of  an  annexed  rubric  requiring 
that  a  portion  of  the  Psalms  in  metre  "be  sung  at  every 
celebration  of  divine  service."^^*^  Of  the  new  hymns,  25 
out  of  30  came  from  English  Independent  sources.  The 
whole  collection  of  57  hymns  thus  allowed  included  14  by 
Watts,  9  by  Doddridge,  10  by  Steele,  2  by  Charles  Wesley 
and  I  by  Beddome,  and  must  be  regarded  as  bearing  the 
clear  marks  of  the  Evangelical  Hymnody. 

It  was  indeed  in  Maryland  and  Virginia  that  the  influence 
of  the  Evangelical  Revival  had  first  made  itself  felt  in 
the  Episcopal  Church;  and  through  the  first  third  of  the 
XlXth  century  there  was  an  ever-enlarging  body  of  clergy 
holding  the  evangelical  theology  and  putting  the  emphasis 
on  personal  experience. ^^^     The  new  views  and  feelings, 

107  "f  j^g  necessity  of  a  larger  collection  was  generally  felt,  and  at 
length  the  vestry  authorized  the  present  publication."     Preface,  p.  4. 

'"*  "In  this  selection,  we  are  chiefly  indebted  to  Dr.  Belknap,  whose 
book  unquestionably  contains  the  best  specimens  of  sacred  poetry 
extant."    Preface,  p.  4. 

^^^ Journals,  vol.  i,  p.  341. 

""The  rubric,  as  printed  below  the  Hymns,  made  psalm  singing 
compulsory  not  at  every  service,  but  whenever  hymns  are  sung  at 
any  service. 

"'C/.  Wm.  Stevens  Perry,  The  History  of  the  Americati  Episcopal 
Church,  Boston,  1885,  vol.  ii,  pp.  192,  193. 


398  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

here  as  at  Olney  long  before,  expressed  themselves  in  paro- 
chial prayer  meetings.  And  here  as  everywhere  the  evan- 
gelical fervor  called  for  new  hymns.  This  need  was  largely 
met  by  the  extended  circulation  of  a  book  prepared  by  an 
Evangelical  leader,  J.  P.  K.  Henshaw,  for  a  women's  prayer- 
circle  in  his  Brooklyn  parish  of  St.  Ann's,  and  published 
as  A  Selection  of  Hymns,  for  the  use  of  social  religious 
meetings,  and  for  private  devotions  (Brooklyn,  1817).^^^ 
Its  tone  is  that  of  the  Evangelical  Revival :  it  contains  more 
than  fifty  Olney  Hymns,  many  of  the  standard  hymns  of 
Christian  experience,  and  a  few  American  revival  hymns 
"with  chorus." 

Henshaw's  ample  provision  for  prayer  meetings  did  noth- 
ing to  satisfy  the  wide-spread  desire^ '"^  for  an  enlarged 
Hymnody  for  the  Sunday  services.  The  relief  of  the  situa- 
tion became  the  personal  concern  of  a  remarkable  man, 
William  A.  Muhlenberg,  then  a  rector  at  Lancaster.  He 
began  with  A  Plea  for  Christian  Hymns,  addressed  to  a 
friend  in  the  General  Convention  of  182 1.^^'*  No  result 
following,  he  prepared  his  own  collection  of  psalms  and 
hymns,  and  published  it  as  Church  Poetry:  being  portions 
of  the  Psalms  in  verse,  and  Hymns  suited  to  the  festivals 
and  fasts,  and  various  occasions  of  the  Church.  Selected 
and  arranged  from  various  authors.     By  Wm.  Augustus 


*"2nd  ed.,  1820;  4th,  1824;  5th,  1832;  afterward,  without  date. 
Wm.  Croswell  of  Boston,  attending  a  General  Convention  at  Phila- 
delphia in  Sept.,  1838,  writes  from  the  "conference  rooms"  of  St. 
Andrew's  Church :  "The  place  in  which  I  write  is  a  queer  one.  On 
the  desks  and  seats  about  me,  the  principal  book  is  'Henshaw's  Collec- 
tion of  Revival  Hymns,'  while  the  Prayer  Books  are  very  scarce. 
There  is  one  on  the  desk,  the  only  one,  I  believe,  in  the  room.  'Jesus 
I  know,  and  Paul  I  know,  but  who'  is  Henshaw,  that  his  Collections 
should  supersede  the  Collects?"  Memoir  of  the  late  William  Croswell, 
D.D.    By  his  Father:  New  York,  1853,  p.  214. 

"'Bird  Wilson,  Memoir  of  William  White,  D.D.,  Philadelphia,  1839, 
p.  142. 

"*Anne  Ayres,  The  Life  and  Work  of  Wm.  Augustus  Muhlenberg, 
New  York,  1880,  p.  62.  The  paper  is  reprinted  in  Evangelical  Catholic 
Papers,  second  series,  St.  Johnland,  1877,  pp.  11-36. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  399 

Muhlenberg,  associate  rector  of  St.  James's  Church, 
Lancaster.  Philadelphia:  published  by  S.  Potter  and  Co. 
182^.  The  book  ranges  with  the  contemporaneous  series 
of  "Psalms  and  Hymns"  appearing  on  the  EvangeHcal  side 
of  the  Church  of  England,  and  is  especially  indebted  to  the 
1819  edition  of  Cotterill's  Selection,^'^^  whose  freedom  in 
altering  texts  Muhlenberg  admired  and  extended. 

Muhlenberg  at  once  put  his  Church  Poetry  into  use  in 
his  own  congregation;  a  course  in  which  he  was  followed 
by  a  number  of  rectors  in  various  places. ^^*'  Within  six 
months  of  its  publication  the  General  Convention  of  1823 
appointed  a  committee  on  the  enlargement  of  the  Psalms 
and  Hymns,  of  which  Dr.  Muhlenberg  was  a  member.^^' 
The  committee  was  presumably  ill-prepared  for  its  task, 
which  was  wholly  neglected^^^  until  in  the  summer  of  1826 
Dr.  Muhlenberg,  with  the  assistance  of  Dr.  H.  U.  Onder- 
donk  of  Brooklyn,  prepared  and  put  through  a  collection 
of  hymns, ^^^  which  was  approved  by  the  General  Conven- 
tion in  November  of  that  year^^" 

The  new  hymns  and  those  already  in  use  were  amalga- 
mated and  published  as  Hymns  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  in  the  United  States  of  America.  Set  forth  in 
General  Convention  of  said  Church,  in  the  years  of  our 
Lord,  i/8p,  1808,  and  1826.  Philadelphia:  published  by 
S.  F.  Bradford.    182/.^^^    This  collection  of  212  hymns 


"''See  chap,  vii,  part  IV,  section  4. 

""Ayres,  Life,  &c.,  p.  63. 

^"Journals,  vol.  ii,  pp.  19,  69. 

"^Bishop  White's  disapproval  of  enlargement,  expressed  in  his 
Thoughts  on  the  proposal  of  alterations  in  the  Book  of  Psalms  in 
metre,  and  in  the  Hymns,  now  before  a  committee  of  the  General 
Convention:  by  a  member  of  the  committee  (see  his  Memoirs,  &c., 
pp.  384-387),  no  doubt  created  a  serious  embarrassment. 

"Tor  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  own  account  of  its  preparation,  see  Ayres' 
Life,  &c.,  pp.  84-86. 

''-"Journals,  vol.  ii,  pp.  174,  191. 

'■'His  i6mo  ed.  of  that  year,  with  the  Committee's  certificate  dated 
April  10,  1827,  is  "the  standard  edition"  ordered  by  General  Conven- 
tion :  his  Svo  ed.  of  that  year  is  dated  May  5th. 


400  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

was  an  excellent  one  for  its  time.  To  say  that  English 
XVnith  century  Dissent  furnished  a  majority  of  the 
hymns,  with  Watts,  Doddridge,  Steele  and  Charles  Wesley 
leading,  is  merely  to  say  that  it  bore  the  marks  of  its  time. 
Numerous  other  writers,  older  and  newer,  were  also  repre- 
sented. The  tone  of  the  book  was  decidedly  evangelical, 
and  quite  colorless  in  ecclesiastical  and  sacramental  direc- 
tions. A  recent  historian,  writing  of  "The  Catholic  Renais- 
sance," is  surely  mistaken  in  saying  that  its  continued  use 
infused  "a  more  distinctive  churchly  sentiment  among  the 
people."^^^  What  the  book  did  was  to  meet  in  considerable 
measure  the  demand  of  those  who  had  wanted  more  hymns 
and  to  extend  the  practice  of  hymn  singing  in  parochial 
worship.  In  other  communions  also  the  book  was  favorably 
regarded,  and  "Episc.  Coll."  became  a  familiar  ascription 
indicating  the  source  of  hymns  in  their  hymn  books. 

The  permanent  distinction  of  the  Hymns  of  1827  is  its 
contribution  to  English  Hymnody.  It  brought  to  the  fore 
no  less  than  five  American  Episcopal  hymn  writers  whose 
hymns  have  survived.  Dr.  Onderdonk  contributed  nine, 
all  of  which  came  into  use,  and  one  of  which  ("The  Spirit 
in  our  hearts")  is  widely  accepted.  Dr.  Muhlenberg  con- 
tributed five,  of  which  "Saviour,  who  Thy  flock  art  feeding" 
is  possibly  our  best  Baptismal  Hymn;  "Shout  the  glad 
tidings"  a  favorite  Christmas  Hymn;  "I  would  not  live 
always"  a  classic  of  evangelical  "otherworldliness" ;  and 
"Like  Noah's  weary  dove"  is  only  now  passing  out  of  use. 
From  George  W.  Doane's  Songs  by  the  way  the  compilers 
chose  two,  "Thou  art  the  way"  and  "Softly  now  the  light 
of  day,"  passing  over  his  renderings  of  Latin  church 
hymns.  They  included  also  J.  Wallis  Eastburn's  "O  Holy, 
Holy,  Holy  Lord,"  which  had  been  in  Henshaw's  book,  and 
Francis  S.  Key's  "Lord,  with  glowing  heart  I'd  praise 
Thee,"  which  had  been  in  Muhlenberg's. 

The  improvement  of  the  metrical  psalms  (a  return  to 
the  selective  principle  of  1786  being  now  desired)  remained 

'-'S.  J.  McConnell,  op:  cit.,  p.  327. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  401 


in  the  hands  of  the  committee,  and  was  finally  accomplished 
by  a  joint  commission  of  the  General  Convention  of  1832.^23 
The  first  copies  of  their  work  appeared  in  1833  as  Psalms, 
in  metre,  selected  from  the  Psalms  of  David.  With  some 
fourteen  exceptions,  the  selections  were  all  from  Tate  and 
Brady's  New  Version.  As  bound  up  with  the  Prayer  Book 
these  Psalms  and  the  Hymns  of  1827  together  took  the 
title  of  Selections  from  the  Psalms  of  David  in  metre,  with 
Hymns,  suited  to  the  feasts  and  fasts  of  the  Church,  and 
other  occasions  of  public  worship}^"^  This  continued  in 
use  without  change  or  addition  until  1866,  so  that  the 
Hymns  of  1827  remained  as  the  only  authorized  Hymnody 
of  the  Episcopal  Church  for  forty  years. 

It  cannot  however  be  said  that  either  wing  of  the  Church 
remained  satisfied  for  so  long  with  the  official  provision 
of  hymns.  With  the  development  of  a  high  church  party 
came  the  desire  for  a  more  liturgical  and  sacramental 
Hymnody.  But  just  now  we  are  more  concerned  with  the 
low  churchmen  who  carried  on  the  traditions  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Party,  craved  a  fuller  use  of  the  Evangelical 
Hymnody,  and  followed  the  example  set  by  Henshaw. 
Both  Stephen  H.  and  his  son  Dudley  A.,  Tyng  published 
collections  of  "Additional  Hymns"  for  use  at  lectures  and 
prayer  meetings.  The  son's  collection,  bound  up  with  "The 
Prayer  Book  Collection"  and  Chants  and  Tunes  for  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer,  appeared  as  The  Lecture-Room 
Hymn-Book  (Philadelphia,  1855),  and  had  some  circula- 
tion. Even  more  aggressive  was  Dr.  C.  W.  Andrews, 
whose  "Additional  Selection,"  bound  up  with  the  Hymns 
of  1827,  first  appeared  in  1843.  It  was  based  very  largely 
upon  the  English  collections  of  Simeon,  Baptist  W.  Noel 
and  the  elder  Bickersteth ;  but  Watts,  Charles  Wesley  and 
Olncy  Hymns  were  the  principal  sources.  From  this  grew 
Andrews'  larger  collection.  Hymns  and  devotional  Poetry, 
published  by  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Evangelical 

'■"Jotirnals,  vol.  ii,  pp.  408,  437- 

"'Commonly  referred  to  as  "The  Prayer  Book  Collection." 


402  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Knowledge  in  1857,  often  reissued  and  later  revised.  As 
bound  up  with  prayers,  prose  Psalms  and  the  Hymns  of 
1827,  it  became  Service  Book  .  .  .  for  use  in  prayer  meet- 
ings, and  on  other  informal  occasions  (Philadelphia,  1858)  ; 
and  so  suggests  a  certain  rivalry  with  Tyng's  Lecture-Room 
Hymn-Book  published  at  the  same  place  three  years  earlier. 
In  these  privately  issued  books  the  Evangelical  Hymnody 
found  opportunity  for  a  quite  unfettered  presentation. 
Apart  from  their  interest  as  ministering  to  and  embodying 
a  past  phase  of  church  life,  they  exercised  some  permanent 
influence  in  securing  for  the  Evangelical  Hymnody  a 
suitable  representation  in  the  future  hymn  books  of  the 
Episcopal  Church, 


ENGLISH  HYMNS  IN  THE  REFORMED  DUTCH 
CHURCH   (1 767-1868) 

The  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  churches  in  the  colonies 
continued  too  long  for  their  own  good  to  conduct  their 
services  in  the  language  of  the  fatherland.  But  in  New 
York  English  preaching  was  decided  upon  in  1762,^^'  Two 
years  later  an  English  psalm  book  was  planned,^^*'  and 
Francis  Hopkinson  was  engaged  to  prepare  it.^^^  This  he 
did  by  adapting  the  Nezv  Version  of  Tate  and  Brady  to 
the  metres  of  the  accustomed  melodies  of  the  Dutch  Psalter. 
The  English  service  book  appeared  as  The  Psalms  of  David, 
with  the  Ten  Commandments,  Creed,  Lord's  Prayer,  &c. 
in  metre.  Also  the  Catechism,  Confession  of  Faith,  Liturgy, 
&c.  translated  from  the  Dutch.  For  the  use  of  the  Re- 
formed Protestant  Dutch  Church  of  the  City  of  New  York 
(New  York:  James  Parker,  1767).  The  Dutch  rule  of 
Psalmody  was  a  strict  one.  Nothing  could  be  sung  in 
church  until  authorized,  and  nothing  was  authorized  but 

^^^Ecclesiastical  Records:  State  of  New  York,  vol.  vi,  Albany,  1905, 
p.  3819. 

''"Ibid.,  p.  3872.  '"Ibid.,  p.  3931. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  403 

versions  of  the  "Psalms  of  David;  the  ten  commandments; 
the  Lord's  prayer;  the  12  articles  of  the  Christian  faith; 
the  songs  of  Mary,  Zachariah,  and  Simeon  versified.  .  .  . 
All  others  are  prohibited,  and  where  any  have  been  already 
introduced,  they  shall  be  discontinued  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible."^^^  To  this  rule  of  the  Synod  of  Dort  the  contents 
of  the  New  York  psalm  book  were  conformed  without 
question,  and  the  rule  was  formally  recognized  and  ratified 
at  the  first  General  Meeting  of  the  churches  in  October, 
1771.^^^ 

The  new  psalm  book  did  not  long  satisfy  the  English- 
speaking  congregations,  presumably  on  account  of  the 
peculiar  metres  and  the  melodies  adapted  to  them,  and  also 
from  a  restlessness  under  confinement  to  strict  Psalmody. 
After  the  Revolutionary  War  the  General  Meeting  became 
the  General  Synod, ^^*^  succeeding  to  the  authority  of  the 
Synod  of  Dort,  and  in  1787  it  directed  that  a  new  psalm 
book  be  prepared  "out  of  other  collections  of  English  Psalms 
in  repute  and  received  in  the  Reformed  churches. "^^^  The 
peculiar  phrasing  was  very  likely  intended  to  include  The 
Psalms  of  Daz'id  imitated  of  Dr.  Watts,  which  were  win- 
ning repute  in  neighboring  churches  but  were  questionable 
from  the  point  of  view  of  a  strict  Psalmody.  They  must 
have  had  many  admirers  in  the  extending  English-speaking 
congregations,  but  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  as  a  whole 
never  yielded  to  the  spell  of  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns 
which  for  so  long  dominated  the  Service  of  Praise  in  other 
denominations. 

The  proposal  that  the  Church  should  abandon  its  historic 
position  and  adopt  hymn  singing  does  not  seem  to  have 

'^'  "Rules  of  Church  Government  established  in  thj  National  Synod, 
held  in  Dordrecht,  in  the  years  1618  and  1619,"  art.  Ixix,  as  translated 
in  The  Constitution  of  The  Reformed  Dutch  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A., 
New  York,  1793,  p.  289. 

^'^Ecclesiastical  Records,  vol.  vi,  p.  4224. 

^^"Acts  and  Proceedings  of  the  General  Synod,  vol.  i,  New  York, 
1859,  p.   128. 

^^'Ibid.,  p.  167.  ^ 


404  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

come  from  the  committee  that  had  the  new  psalm  book  in 
charge  but  from  the  pastors.  It  took  the  form  of  instruc- 
tions to  that  committee,  made  "upon  mature  deHberation" 
by  the  General  Synod  of  1788  : — 

"5.  And  since  it  is  regarded  necessary  that  some  well-composed 
spiritual  hymns  be  connected  as  a  supplement  with  this  new  Psalm-, 
Book,  it  is  ordained  that  the  committee  also  have  a  care  over  this 
matter,  and  print  such  hymns  in  connection  with  the  Psalms.""^ 

"This  new  Psalm-Book"  appeared  in  the  following  year 
as  The  Psalms  of  David,  zvith  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs. 
Also  the  Catechism,  Confession  of  Faith,  and  Liturgy,  of 
the  Reformed  Church  in  the  Netherlands.  For  the  use  of 
the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  in  North-America.  New- 
York:  printed  by  Hodge,  Allen  and  Campbell,  and  sold 
at  their  respective  book-stores.   M.  DCC.  LXXXIX. 

The  hymns  are  numbered  as  an  even  hundred;  in  reality 
135.  They  were  selected  by  Dr.  John  H.  Livingston^^^ 
from  the  whole  breadth  of  the  Evangelical  Hymnody  and 
beyond/"^  in  view  of  the  needs  of  the  Church.  Their 
classification  reveals  the  special  uses  for  which  hymns  had 
been  desired.  No  less  than  84  (numbered  as  "Hymn  i 
to  52"  with  their  alternates)  are  "suited  to  the  Heidelbergh 
Catechism,"  for  consecutive  singing  on  the  afternoon  of 
each  Sunday  through  the  year  in  connection  with  the  exposi- 
tion of  the  Catechism. ^^^  "Hymn  53  to  73,  are  adapted  to 
the  Holy  Ordinance  of  the  Lord's  Supper."  "Hymn  74, 
to  the  end,  are  on  Miscellaneous  Subjects,"  mostly  occa- 
sional, and  including  "Christmas,"  "Resurrection,"  "Ascen- 
sion" and  "Whitsunday."^^^ 

The  Synod  of  1790  perceived  "with  much  satisfaction 

"'^Acts  and  Proceedings,  vol.  i,  p.  182. 

"^See  "Explanatory  Articles,"  No.  Ixv,  Constitution,  ed.  N.  Y.,  1793, 
P-  348. 

"*One  was  taken  from  the  Moravian  Hymn  Book  of  1754. 

^^^See  Acts  and  Proceedings,  vol.  i,  pp.  80,  176. 

''"For  the  Church's  qualified  recognition  of  "Holy  days"  see  "Ex- 
planatory Articles,"  No.  Ixvii,  and  D.  D.  Demarest,  The  Reformed 
Church  in  America,  4th  ed.,  N.  Y.,  1889,  pp.  166-168. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  405 

that  the  English  Psalms,  together  with  the  selection  of 
Hymns  formerly  approved  by  Synodical  decrees,  have  been 
happily  committed  to  the  press,  and  are  printed  and  already 
in  use  in  many  congregations."  The  Synod  went  on  to 
inform  the  churches  naively  enough  "that,  according  to  the 
intention  of  the  Synod  of  Dordrecht,  hymns  which  have 
been  approved  by  a  Synod  should  not  be  excluded  from 
the  churches. "^^''^  This  deliverance  was  intended  to  soothe 
the  consciences  of  any  who  had  supposed  that  the  Synod 
of  Dort  aimed  to  use  Synodical  control  for  the  conservation 
of  a  purely  Scriptural  Psalmody,  or  perhaps  to  serve  notice 
on  a  psalm-loving  minority  that  the  resistance  to  hymn 
singing  then  disturbing  the  Presbyterian  Church  would 
find  no  countenance  in  the  Reformed  Dutch. 

The  use  of  the  Hymns  of  1789  naturally  created  a  desire 
for  more,  and  by  request  of  the  Synod  of  1812^^^  Dr. 
Livingston  expanded  the  collection  to  273  hymns  on  the 
same  lines  and  with  the  same  grouping.  The  new  book 
appeared  in  1814  both  at  New  York  and  New  Brunswick 
as  The  Psalms  and  Hymns,  with  the  Catechism,  Confession 
of  Faith,  and  Liturgy  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  in 
North  America.  Selected  at  the  request  of  the  General 
Synod.  By  John  H.  Livingston,  D.D.,  S.T.P.  Adopting 
this  book  Synod  regarded  It  as  one  of  the  "Standards  of  the 
Church" ;  and  in  181 5  proceeded  to  deal  with  a  printer  who 
ventured  upon  some  "improvements"  of  the  text  of  certain 
hymns.^^'^ 

This  book  became  the  basis  of  the  denominational 
Hymnody,  standing  alone  till  1831,  intact  till  1847;  and, 
with  its  contents  distributed  and  rearranged,  retained  in 
use  till  1869.  It  became  "Book  I"  of  the  enlargement  of 
1831  when  Dr.  Thomas  De  Witt's  committee  added  172 
hymns.  They  were  first  printed  as  Additional  Hymns, 
adopted  by  the  General  Synod  .  .  .  June  18 ji,  and  author- 
ised to  be  used  in  the  churches  under  their  care.    Phila- 

^^'Acts  and  Proceedings,  vol.  i,  p.  212. 

^^'^Ibid.,  vol.  i,  p.  424.  ""Acts  and  Proceedings  of  1815,  p.  37- 


4o6  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

delphia:  published  by  G.  W.  Mentz  &  Son,  i8^i;  and 
thereafter  they  became  "Book  H"  of  the  authorized  Psalms 
and  Hymns.  This  supplement  introduced  to  the  Church 
many  of  the  now  classical  hymns  of  the  XVHIth  century 
Revival,  such  as  "Jesus,  Lover  of  my  soul,"  "Rock  of 
Ages,"  and  "Guide  me,  O  Thou  Great  Jehovah" ;  some 
recent  hymns,  such  as  Heber's  "Brightest  and  best"  and 
"From  Greenland's  icy  mountains" ;  but  "I  would  not  live 
alway"  was  the  only  one  of  the  novelties  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  collection  of  1827  that  was  utilized. 

The  Sabbath-school  and  Social  Hymn  Book  of  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church,  approved  in  1843,  was  made  to 
cover  prayer  meetings,  in  view  of  information  that  un- 
authorized hymn  books  were  being  introduced  into  the 
lecture-room  "in  many  parts  of  the  Church,"^^*'  but  had 
been  designed  "to  increase  the  attention  of  our  young  people 
to  sacred  music."  ^■*^  In  the  parochial  school  system  the 
Dutch  had  attempted  to  establish  in  this  country,  the  leader 
of  the  church  Psalmody  was  also  the  schoolmaster.  But 
no  attempt  was  made  to  introduce  music  study,  and  genera- 
tion after  generation  grew  up  with  little  ability  to  participate 
in  Church  Song.^^^  The  decadence  of  congregational  sing- 
ing and  the  apathy  of  the  people  were  before  the  Synod 
in  1836"^  and  1837,^^^  and  that  of  1840,  which  recom- 
mended "the  introduction  of  music  in  our  district  schools" 
and  urged  upon  the  classes  "attention  to  sacred  music." ^^^ 

The  Synod  of  1845  was  more  concerned  with  the  literary 
side  of  Hymnody  in  the  church  service  and  as  an  instrument 
of  Christian  education  in  the  home,  and  put  the  improve- 
ment of  the  hymn  book  into  the  hands  of  a  committee. ^^*^ 
Their  341  Additional  Hymns  .  .  .  adopted  .  .  .  June, 
1846  appeared  at  Philadelphia,  1847;  and,  rearranged  with 

^*°Acts  and  Proceedings,  vol.  vi,  p.  164.         "'Ibid.,  vol.  iv,  p.  533. 
""C/.  Demarest,  op.  cit.,  pp.   161,   162;   John  Bodine  Thompson,   in 
The  Christian  Intelligencer,  July  11,  1906. 

"\4cts  and  Proceedings,  vol.  iv,  p.  533-  '''Ibid.,  vol.  v,  p.  89. 

""■Ibid.,  vol.  V,  p.  421.  ''^Ibid.,  vol.  vi,  p.  478. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  407 

the  hymns  already  authorized,  and  accompanied  by  the 
metrical  psalms,  standards  and  liturgy,  as  The  Psalms  and 
Hymns,  .  .  .  of  the  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  Church 
in  North  America.  Authorized  by  the  General  Synod  to  be 
used  in  the  churches  under  their  care  ( 1847) . 

The  Additional  Hymns  were  still  predominantly  of  the 
Evangelical  school,  but  later  writers  were  by  no  means 
neglected;  and  more  varieties  of  metre  were  sought,  in 
deference  to  the  statement  of  Thomas  Hastings  that  "they 
were  needed  by  city  choirs. "^^^  Many  pastors  had  a  differ- 
ent feeling  toward  the  strange  metres  and  no  welcome  for 
some  of  the  new  hymns.  The  Classis  of  Bergen  and  the 
North  Classis  of  Long  Island  complained  of  "ninety  preach- 
ing hymns,"  "praise  to  dead  saints"  (e.  g.  "Sister,  thou 
wast  mild  and  lovely"),  "heretical  expressions,"  "bad 
taste,"  "nonsense,"  "a  lack  of  devotion"  in  some  hymns, 
and  too  many  "peculiar  metres. "^^^  They  and  other 
malcontents  were  appeased  by  some  slight  changes  and  by 
permission  to  continue  in  using  the  earlier  Hymn  Book.^'*'' 

There  was  no  further  change  in  the  authorized  Hymnody 
for  more  than  twenty  years.  The  collection  of  1847,  with 
its  324  "Psalms"  and  788  "Hymns,"  was  indeed  more  than 
ample.  The  distinction  between  psalm  and  hymn  thus 
preserved  was  largely  formal,  many  of  its  psalms  being 
free  hymns  and  some  of  its  hymns  being  Psalm  versions ; 
and  two  successive  Hymnody  committees  favored  a 
rearrangement  in  one  series. 

The  contribution  of  the  denomination  to  hymn  writing 
during  all  this  period  was  small.  It  is  likely  that  some  of 
the  didactic  hymns  of  the  1789  book  were  prepared  for  it. 
In  the  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  1847  two  hymns  by  George 
W.  Bethune  are  included: — "O  for  the  happy  hour,"  and 
the  translated  "It  is  not  death  to  die."     But  this  was  a 

^"Ibid.,  vol.  vii,  p.  204. 

"*For  an   interesting   review  of   these   charges  by   a   committee   of 
Synod,  see  Acts  and  Proceedings,  vol.  vii,  pp.  200-205. 
^*'Ibid.,  vol.  vii,  p.  281. 


4o8  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

small  representation  alongside  of  the  thirty-five  there 
printed  from  the  Mss.  of  the  Presbyterian  Thomas  Hast- 
ings.^^^  The  really  outstanding  names  are  those  of  the 
successive  compilers,  each  of  whom  made  a  practically 
unhampered  selection  of  hymns, — Dr.  John  H.  Livingston, 
Dr.  Thomas  De  Witt,  and  Chancellor  Isaac  Ferris;  notably 
Dr.  Livingston,  from  w^hose  honored  hand  the  Church  took 
its  Hymnody  in  1789  and  181 3,  and  whose  compilation 
remained  intact  till  1847.  He  was  thanked  for  his  great 
service  in  1813,  and  it  was  ordered  that  his  name  appear 
on  the  title-page  of  the  hymn  book,^^^  where  it  remained 
till  1847,  Some  of  the  editions  had  also  a  copper-plate 
portrait  of  him  for  frontispiece. 

The  Reformed  Dutch  hymn  books  before  1847  h^^^l  ^ 
denominational  distinctiveness  in  their  didacticism,  their 
exposition  of  the  Heidelberg  Catechism  and  their  limited 
recognition  of  the  church  year.  But  the  really  disinctive 
feature  of  the  denominational  Hymnody  was  the  continued 
insistence  upon  the  principle  of  church  control  of  the  Praise, 
by  which  congregations  were  restricted  to  the  use  of  selec- 
tions made  by  church  authority.  This  principle  of  church 
control  was  an  inheritance  from  the  Synod  of  Dort,  but 
was  exercised  in  this  country  not  in  the  interest  of  a  Scrip- 
tural Psalmody  but  with  a  view  to  "the  preservation  of  a 
sound  theology. "^^^ 

VI 

ENGLISH  HYMNS  IN  THE  GERMAN  REFORMED 
CHURCH  (1800-1858) 

With  the  dawn  of  the  XlXth  century  the  introduction  of 
English  into  the  worship  of  German  Reformed  churches 
became  at  once  a  necessity  and  an  occasion  of  bitter  strife.^^^ 

^'"Ibid.,  vol.  vii,  p.  93. 

'''Ibid.,  Synod  of  1813,  p.  17-  '^'Cf.  Ibid.,  vol.  vii,  p.  94. 

^"^See  J.  H.  Dubbs,  The  Reformed  Church  in  Pennsylvania,  Lan- 
caster, 1902,  pp.  270  ff. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  409 

From  that  date  the  process  of  Anghcizing  the  Church  went 
steadily  forward.  The  Reformed  Dutch  hymn  book  was 
generally  introduced  into  the  early  English-speaking  con- 
gregations, ^^^  but  the  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  Watts  were 
also  resorted  to.^^^  The  use  of  hymns  involved  no  change 
in  denominational  principle  or  practice.  The  Reformed 
immigrants  brought  with  them  hymn  books  used  at  home, 
and  the  American  Synod  had  already  printed  a  German 
hymn  book  of  its  own.^^*^ 

In  view  of  the  increase  in  the  use  of  English  the  Synod 
adopted  in  1830  a  collection  made  by  the  Classis  of  Mary- 
land :  Psalms  and  Hymns,  for  the  use  of  the  German  Re- 
formed Church,  in  the  United  States  of  America.  Pub- 
lished by  the  Synod  of  said  Church.  The  Psalm  versions 
numbered  150  precisely:  the  hymns,  422,  increased  in  1834 
by  an  appendix  to  520. 

It  was  no  doubt  natural  that  a  generation  disposed  to 
disparage  the  ways  of  the  fathers,  and  attaining  release 
from  them  with  difficulty,  should  turn  its  back  upon  the 
riches  of  the  German  Hymnody,  and  wish  for  a  book  like 
those  its  American  neighbors  were  using.  And  such  was 
the  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  1830.  The  Psalm  versions  were 
largely  those  of  Watts,  and  the  Evangelical  Hymnody  of 
the  XVIIIth  century  furnished  the  majority  of  the  hymns, 
though  a  number  of  later  writers  were  represented.  There 
was  a  great  preponderance  of  the  long,  common  and  short 
metres,  but  the  book  as  a  whole  is  brighter  than  the  con- 
temporaneous Presbyterian  Psalms  and  Hymns. 

This  first  English  hymn  book  of  the  denomination  was 
also  the  only  one  in  the  period  preceding  the  Liturgical  Con- 

^"Dubbs,  Historic  Manual  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United 
States,  Lancaster,  1885,  p.  356. 

^■"■^The  writer's  copy  of  Woodward's  Philadelphia  ed.  of  1817,  con- 
taining "Barlow's  Watts"  and  the  Hymns,  was  "Bought  for  the  German 
Reformed  Church  at  Harrisburg,  and  placed  in  the  pulpit  ...  on  the 
20th  December,  1820." 

'°'£)aj  neue  und  verbesserte  Gesangbuch,  Philadelphia,  Steiner  u. 
Kammerer,  1797:  2nd  ed.,  1799. 


410  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

troversy.  Its  use  indeed  extended  further,  a  66th  edition 
appearing  in  1872.  Through  all  these  years  the  Psalms 
and  Hymns  was  printed  without  tunes  and  without  any 
indication  of  the  authorship  of  the  hymns.  One  other  Eng- 
lish book  from  within  the  denomination  before  the  con- 
troversy was  The  Saints'  Harp:  a  Collection  of  Hymns  and 
Spiritual  Songs,  adapted  to  prayer  and  social  meetings, 
and  seasons  of  revival.  Selected  and  arranged  by  Rev.  J.  F. 
Berg  (Philadelphia,  1839:  2nd  ed.,  1843).  It  contains 
some  good  hymns  and  many  revival  songs  of  a  surprisingly 
low  order;  also  five  originals  by  Dr.  Berg,  all  but  one  of 
which  picture  the  wrath  to  come.  It  was  no  doubt  pre- 
pared for  those  "protracted  meetings"  that  characterized 
Dr.  Berg's  pastorate  in  the  old  Race  Street  Church  in  Phila- 
delphia. ^^"^ 

VII 

ENGLISH  HYMNS  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH 
(1756-1859) 

The  differing  tongues  of  early  Lutheran  immigrants 
presented  a  bar  to  a  common  Lutheran  worship;  and  the 
process  of  Anglicizing  that  worship  encountered  not  only 
the  difficulties  of  a  new  language  but  was  hindered  by  the 
jealousies  it  awakened. ^^^ 

-^In  New  York  Muhlenberg  tried  to  meet  the  situation  by 
preaching  in  Dutch  in  the  morning,  in  German  in  the  after- 

^noon,  and  in  English  in  the  evening.  The  book  from  which 
he  lined  out  the  hymns  at  the  English  services  was  a  copy 
of  Psalmodia  Germanica,  a  collection  of  rather  crude  ver- 
sions of  German  hymns,  mostly  by  John  Christian  Jacobi, 
Keeper  of  the  Royal  German  Chapel  at  St.  James'  Palace, 

"'D.  Van  Home,  A  History  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  Phila- 
delphia, Phila.,  1876,  p.  79. 

"'C/.  Henry  E.  Jacobs,  A  History  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  in  the  United  States  (Am.  Church  Hist,  series),  N.  Y.,  1893, 
p.  251. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  411 

London  (first  published  in  1722;  a  second  part  in  1725: 
the  two  united  in  1732). 

When  it  was  clear  that  English  services  were  to  be  con- 
tinued, a  reprint  of  the  edition  of  1732  was  made,  appear- 
ing as  Psahnodia  Gcrmanica:  or,  The  German  Psalmody. 
Translated  from  the  High  Dutch.  Together  with  their 
proper  tunes,  and  thorough  bass.  The  third  edition,  cor- 
rected and  very  much  enlarged.  London,  printed:  Nezv 
York,  re-printed,  and  sold  by  H.  Gaine,  at  the  Bible  & 
Crown,  in  Queen-Street,  1156:  with  A  Supplement  to 
German  Psalmody:  done  into  English  ...  as  a  second 
title.^^^  This  was  the  first  English  hymn  book  of  American 
Lutheranism.  It  was  used  at  the  English  services  of  the 
(Dutch)  Trinity  Church,  at  Hackensack,  and  probably  in 
other  churches  along  the  Hudson.^*'*^  It  included 'many  of 
the  best  Lutheran  hymns;  and,  had  the  English  versions 
been  of  better  quality,  might  have  afforded  a  nucleus  for 
the  development  here  of  a  characteristic  Lutheran  Hym- 
nody. 

In  1784  the  scholarly  Dr.  Kunze  became  pastor  of  the 
united  Christ  Church  and  Trinity  in  New  York,  and  was 
deeply  concerned  with  the  development  of  an  English- 
speaking  Lutheranism.  He  published  A  Hymn  and  Prayer- 
Book:  for  the  use  of  such  Lutheran  Churches  as  use  the 
English  Language.  Collected  by  John  C.  Kunce,  D.D. 
Senior  of  the  Lutheran  Clergy  in  the  State  of  New  York 
(New  York:  Hurtin  and  Commardinger,  1795).  This 
interesting  book  is  of  even  date  with  Jeremy  Belknap's 
Boston  Sacred  Poetry,  but  is  not  to  be  judged  by  the  same 
standard.  Kunze  had  first  of  all  to  provide  a  body  of 
hymns  from  the  German  that  could  be  sung  to  the  original 
melodies.  The  two  available  sources  he  commanded  were 
Gaine's  reprint  of  Psahnodia  Germanica^^^  and  the  English 

'^"There  is  a  facsimile  of  the  title-page  of  this  rare  book  in  The 
Journals  of  Hugh  Gaine,  N.  Y.,  1902,  vol.  i,  p.  95.      '""Jacobs,  p.  339. 

"■'  "With  which  many  serious  English  persons  have  been  greatly 
delighted."     Kunze's  preface. 


412  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Moravian  Collection  of  1789,  which  he  regarded  as  "an 
excellent  collection."  From  these  he  took  in  about  equal 
number  some  150  hymns.  He  had  then  to  choose  the  most 
desirable  English  hymns,  of  whose  sources  he  knew  little, 
and  whose  language  he  imperfectly  comprehended.  Of 
these  he  included  about  70,  with  Watts  in  the  lead,  followed 
by  Charles  Wesley,  Newton  and  other  evangelical  hymn 
writers,  with  two  by  Bishop  Ken  and  one  by  Erskine.^^^ 
To  an  appendix  he  relegated  six  hymns  of  his  own,  five  by 
his  assistant,  George  Strebeck,  and  four  by  J.  F.  Ernst,  a 
pastor  in  the  Albany  region :  of  these  some  are  translations 
from  the  German,  and  the  others  sound  as  if  they  were. 
The  Lutheran  and  Moravian,  Wesleyan  and  Evangelical, 
strains  thus  mingle  in  this  pioneer  hymn  book;  but  on  the 
whole  the  Moravian  seems  to  preponderate. 

Kunze  was  thus  the  first  hymn  book  editor,  and  he  and 
his  associates  the  first  hymn  writers,  of  English-speaking 
Lutheranism  in  America.  His  book  contributed  little  in 
the  way  of  materials  toward  a  Lutheran  Hymnody;  and  yet 
he  indicated,  and  according  to  his  opportunities  followed 
out,  the  three  lines  on  which  such  Hymnody  must  develop : — 
the  Englishing  of  the  best  Lutheran  hymns,  the  selection  of 
the  most  available  English  hymns,  and  the  writing  of  hymns 
by  American  Lutherans. 

The  first  English-speaking  congregation  was  Zion's,  New 
York;  formed  in  1796  out  of  Dr.  Kunze's  German 
Church,  ^^^  and  Strebeck  became  its  pastor.  Alleging  "the 
unsuitableness  of  the  metres  of  our  English  Lutheran 
Hymn  Book,  published  in  1795"  and  the  request  of  his 
own  congregation, ^^^  he  prepared  for  it  A  Collection  of 
evangelical  Hymns,  made  from  different  authors  and  col- 
lections, for  the  English  Lutheran  Church,  in  New  York: 
by  George  Strebeck  (New  York:  John  Tiebout,  1797). 
Like  Kunze  he  gave  prominence  to  the  church  year,  but 

'"'From  F.  M.  Bird's  analysis  of  the  book  in  "Lutheran  Hymnology," 
The  Evangelical  Quarterly  Review,  January,  1865. 
'"'Jacobs,  op.  cit.,  p.  319.  '"Preface. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  413 

retained  only  48  of  Kunze's  hymns;  and  of  them  only  10 
are  from  the  German,  3  of  John  Wesley's  translations 
being  added.  Two-thirds  of  Kmize's  book  was  of  German 
origin,  of  Strebeck's  only  one  twenty-third.  Of  the  re- 
maining 256  hymns,  one  half  represents  Watts  and  his 
school,  one-fifth  Charles  Wesley,  one-eighth  Olney 
Hymns }^^  The  editor  apologized  for  so  many  hymns  from 
un-Lutheran  sources,  but  within  a  few  years  carried  the 
bulk  of  his  congregation  over  to  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church. 

When  Ralph  Williston  became  Strebeck's  successor  at 
Zion  in  1805,  the  vestry  and  trustees  requested  him  to 
make  a  new  hymn  book,  as  not  a  copy  of  the  earlier  book 
was  to  be  had,  and  its  "obvious  deficiency"  made  reprinting 
inexpedient.i'^^  "The  Evangelical  Lutheran  Ministry"  of 
New  York  State  had  made  a  resolution,  of  some  years 
standing,  "that  a  new  edition  of  the  English  Lutheran 
Hymn-book  should  be  procured,"  ^^^  and  either  joined  in 
Williston's  work  of  compilation,  or  else  accepted  it  when 
complete.  The  new  book  appeared  as  A  choice  Selection 
of  evangelical  Hymns,  from  various  authors:  for  the  use 
of  the  English  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  in  New  York. 
By  Ralph  Williston  (New  York:  J.  C.  Totten,  1806). 
Among  the  Passion  Hymns  are  seven  transferred  from  Dr. 
Kunze's  book,  but  Watts  and  Charles  Wesley  contribute 
nearly  three- fourths  of  the  whole.  The  rest  are  from  the 
school  of  Watts  and  other  Evangelical  writers.  Notwith- 
standing Dr.  Kunze's  certificate  that  none  of  its  hymns 
are  "dissonant  to  our  doctrine,"  neither  its  arrangements 
nor  contents  suggests  Lutheranism.  It  was  in  fact  a  good 
evangelical  collection  and  was  used  widely  within  the  New 
York  Ministerium,  and  was  introduced  into  the  new  Eng- 
lish-speaking St.  John's  Church  of  Philadelphia. ^^^ 

Williston,  who  had  been  a  Methodist,  proceeded  to  ad- 

'""C/.  Bird,  ut  supra.  """Advertisement"  prefixed. 

'"'Certificate,  signed  "John  C.  Kunze." 
""Jacobs,  op.  cit.,  p.  341- 


414  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

minister  a  great  blow  to  English-speaking  Lutheranism  by 
seceding  to  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  He  carried 
his  congregation  with  him,  and  the  only  English  Lutheran 
church  in  New  York  was  reincorporated  as  "Zion  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church"  in  1810.^*'^ 

There  was  thus  no  occasion  to  reprint  Williston's  book, 
nor  did  it  continue  to  recommend  itself  to  the  Synod  of 
New  York.^"''  The  Synod  was  entering  a  period  generally 
characterized  as  "rationalistic,"  under  the  leadership  of  Dr. 
Frederick  H.  Quitman  of  Rhinebeck.  In  181 3  the  Synod, 
meeting  in  his  church,  ordered  the  preparation  of  a  new 
hymn  book ;  which  appeared  as  A  Collection  of  Hymns, 
and  a  Liturgy,  for  the  use  of  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Churches:  puhlisJied  by  order  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Synod  of  the  State  of  Nezv  York  (New  York  and  Phila- 
delphia, 1814). 

It  accommodated  itself  to  the  tendencies  of  the  time 
and  place  by  avoiding  the  types  of  experience  developed  in 
the  Methodist  and  Evangelical  Revival,  and  reverting  to 
the  school  of  Watts,  including  Thomas  Scott  and  others 
more  or  less  Arian,  yet  not  rejecting  the  warmth  of  Anne 
Steele,  who  has  some  70  hymns.  It  dropped  out  Willis- 
ton's  section  on  "The  Trinity,"  qualified  the  Passion 
Hymns,  and  like  current  New  England  books,  emphasized 
natural  religion.  But  from  its  point  of  view  the  selection 
was  good  and  conveniently  arranged.  Its  tone  was  deep- 
ened and  enriched,  and  many  of  its  omissions  supplied, 
by  the  Additional  Hymns  published  in  1834.  Thus 
strengthened,  the  Collection  of  1814  retained  for  many 
years  its  hold  upon  English-speaking  churches  not  only 
within  but  beyond  the  Synod  of  New  York.  As  late  as 
1865  Mr.  Bird  reports  it  as  still  used  in  New  York  city, 

''•J.  G.  Wilson,  The  CeHtennial  History  of  the  Diocese  of  New 
York,  New  York,  1886,  p.  248. 

""In  its  preface  of  1814,  Synod  lumps  the  previous  hymn  books 
as  the  attempts  of  individuals,  which  "evidently  admit  of  great 
improvement." 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  415 

Albany,  Easton,  Reading,  in  half  a  dozen  country  churches 
in  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  and  perhaps  a  few  in 
Pennsylvania.^^^ 

Different  from  anything  that  had  preceded  it,  and  much 
more  churchly,  was  a  hymn  book  prepared  by  Paul  Henkel, 
pastor  at  New  Market,  Virginia,  and  missionary  at  large; 
one  of  a  family  noted  for  the  aggressiveness  of  its  con- 
servatism : — Church  Hymn  Book,  consisting  of  neivly  com- 
posed Hymns,  with  an  addition  of  Hymns  and  Psalms, 
from  other  authors,  carefully  adapted  for  the  use  of  public 
worship,  and  many  other  occasions.  By  Paul  Henkel, 
Minister  of  the  Gospel.  First  edition.  New  Market: 
Shenandoah  County  {Virginia.),  printed  in  Solomon  Hen- 
kel's  Printing  OfUce,  1816.  It  has  347  Hymns,  followed  by 
a  complete  metrical  Psalter  from  Watts  and  others.  The 
first  part  is  a  "Hymnal  Companion  to  the  Liturgy,"  with 
"Hymns  adapted  to  the  Gospel  and  Epistle  throughout  the 
ecclesiastical  year"  and  to  the  various  occasions  and  offices 
of  the  church;  followed  by  more  general  hymns.  Un- 
fortunately a  large  part  of  the  contents  was  from  Henkel's 
own  pen,  and  is  nothing  more  than  didactic  prose  broken 
up  into  short  phrases  that  serve  as  lines  of  verse. 

But  it  was  the  Henkels  and  their  sympathizers  who 
broke  away  from  the  Synod  of  North  Carolina,  and  formed 
in  1820  the  new  Synod  of  Tennessee.  By  its  direction  a 
revised  and  enlarged  edition  of  Henkel's  book  was  prepared 
by  his  son  Ambrose.  Over  three  hundred  of  Henkel's 
hymns  are  retained  in  the  now  official  book,  and  eleven  are 
by  members  of  his  family.  The  bulk  of  the  remainder  is 
from  Watts  and  his  school,  Charles  Wesley,  and  the 
writers  of  the  Evangelical  Revival,  with  Watts  predom- 
inant. A  third  edition,  with  trifling  changes,  appeared  in 
1850,  and  a  fourth,  with  additions,  in  1857.  But  it  is 
probable  that  the  use  of  the  book  was  confined  within  the 
limits  of  the  Synod,  and  that  on  Lutheran  Hymnody  in 
general  it  exerted  no  appreciable  influence. 

'"[/f  supra,  p.  38. 


4i6  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

The  General  Synod,  convened  at  Frederick,  Maryland, 
in  1 82 1,  represented  the  first  effort  to  give  a  central  gov- 
ernment and  direction  to  the  forces  of  Lutheranism  in 
America ;  and  was  to  become  an  active  agency  in  the  Angli- 
cizing of  Lutheran  churches.  It  was  really  the  creation 
of  the  Ministerium  of  Pennsylvania,  under  a  resolution 
adopted  in  1818.  But  the  Ministerium  had  elected  to  re- 
main a  German-speaking  body,  and  had  no  English  hymn 
book  of  its  own.  In  the  English-speaking  congregations 
allowed  (not  without  protest)  within  its  bounds,  the  New 
York  Collection  was  used.^'^  But  the  New  York  Synod 
had  not  come  into  the  General  Synod,  and  moreover  the 
experience  of  the  congregations  using  their  Collection  had 
proved  it  to  be  in  some  respects  inadequate.  ^'^■'^  There  was 
thus  an  opportunity  for  something  in  the  way  of  a  common 
hymn  book,  and  for  the  forward  step  in  Hymnody  which 
the  situation  and  the  needs  of  the  churches  plainly  called 
for. 

The  project  of  a  new  hymn  book  was  referred  in  1825 
to  a  committee,  with  Dr.  S.  S.  Schmucker  as  chairman. 
Three  years  later  it  appeared  as  Hymns,  selected  and 
original,  for  public  and  private  worship.  Published  by  the 
General  Synod  of  the  Ev.  Lutheran  Church.  First  edition. 
Published,  Gettysburg,  Pa.  Stereotyped  by  L.  Johnson, 
Phila.,  1828.  The  title  was  misleading,  the  original  material 
being  trifling  both  in  extent  and  importance,  ^'''^  and  was 
so  inept  as  to  suggest  that  the  compilers  were  unaware  of, 
or  unequal  to,  their  unusual  opportunity.  Such  as  it  was, 
the  title  remained  af^xed  to  the  authorized  Hymnody  of 
the  General  Synod  for  more  than  forty  years. 

The  contents  of  the  book  hardly  fulfil  even  the  measure 

"■E.  T.  Horn  "Chronological  Summary  of  the  Acts  of  the  Synod 
of  Pennsylvania,"  1878,  p.  19 — . 

^'^The  official  preface  of  General  Synod's  hymn  book  of  1828 
describes  it  as  "a  most  excellent  work,"  but  lacking  sufficient  variety, 
and  omitting  many  of  the  choicest  English  hymns. 

"^Two  hymns  by  Dr.  Schmucker  himself  constitute  the  only  mate- 
rial identified  as  original  in  the  1828  edition. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  417 

of  promise  held  forth  in  the  title.  It  was  plainly  purposed 
to  embody  the  full  scope  of  evangelical  theology  and  every 
phase  of  evangelical  experience  in  these  759  hymns,  songs 
and  exhortations.  At  the  time  the  wave  of  rationalism 
was  being  succeeded  by  a  wave  of  revivalism,  and  revival 
methods  were  replacing  catechetical.  The  book  is  in  full 
sympathy  with  the  new  methods,  appropriating  many  rude 
revival  songs.  The  textual  treatment  of  the  standard 
hymns  is  often  distressing,  and  as  containing  the  authorized 
Hymnody  of  a  historic  Church,  with  its  inherited  stand- 
ards of  doctrine  and  churchmanship  the  Hymns  of  1828 
seems  singularly  unworthy. 

In  1 84 1  a  supplement  of  199  hymns  was  added,  and  the 
book  reached  its  56th  edition  by  1849.  In  the  year  follow- 
ing appeared  a  new  edition,  prepared  by  a  representative 
committee  headed  by  Dr.  William  M.  Reynolds,  containing 
some  800  selections  from  the  old  edition,  and  200  that  were 
new.  It  had  thirty  hymns  from  the  German  ;^'^^  but  at 
that  date  the  committee  were  largely  dependent  on  Henry 
Mills'  somewhat  prosy  Horae  Germanicae  or  their  own 
powers  of  translation.  In  the  remainder,  Watts  and  his 
followers,  Wesley  and  the  hymn  writers  of  the  Revival, 
are  represented  in  about  the  proportions  of  the  New  York 
Collection.  Of  late  writers,  there  are  nine  by  the  English 
Heber  and  seven  by  the  American  Samuel  F.  Smith.  ^''^^ 
The  number  of  revival  songs  is  much  reduced;  and  in  all 
respects  the  revision  benefited  Lutheran  Hymnody. 

But  in  Lutheran  as  in  other  Churches  congregational 
hymn  singing  was  suffering  from  the  encroachments  of 
the  choir.  In  adopting  the  hymns  of  their  neighbors,  they 
necessarily  gave  over  the  use  of  the  German  chorals,  and 
were  dependent  upon  their  neighbors  for  suitable  tunes  also. 
Some  of  the  tunes  thus  appropriated  were  "worn  out 
worldly  tunes,"  caught  up  from  social  life  or  from  their 
use  in  revivals.     Even  more  menacing  was  the  unfailing 

""There  is  a  list  in  the  "large  edition"  of  1852. 

"*C/.  Bird  in  Evangelical  Quarterly  Review,  April,  1865,  p.  219. 


4i8  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

succession  of  American  tune  books,  which  appealed  to  the 
choirs  by  their  novelty,  and  kept  them  supplied  with  tunes 
which  the  people  did  not  know;  resulting  in  "the  present 
neglect  or  discontinuance  of  congregational  singing."  ^^^ 
By  way  of  remedy,  Drs.  Seiss,  McCron  and  Passavant 
offered  to  the  General  Synod  an  edition  of  Hymns  selected 
and  original  which  they  had  revised  and  for  the  first  time 
set  to  music.  Failing  the  acceptance  of  Synod,  it  appeared 
on  their  own  responsibility  as  The  Evangelical  Psalmist: 
a  collection  of  Tunes  and  Hymns  for  use  in  congregational 
and  social  worship.  Philadelphia:  Lindsay  and  Blakiston, 
i8^p.  In  this  sincere  effort  to  better  Lutheran  Praise,  the 
selection  and  arrangement  of  hymns  was  improved,  the 
texts  less  so.  The  musical  features  were  at  least  above 
the  average  level  of  the  time,  and  mainly  for  their  sake 
the  book  found  some  congregational  use. 

Within  the  limits  of  the  General  Synod,  there  were  also 
the  beginnings  of  a  Lutheran  Sunday  school  Hymnody. 
The  elder  Dr.  Krauth  printed  at  Philadelphia  in  1838  his 
Hymns,  selected  and  arranged  for  Sunday  schools,  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  and  adapted  to  Sunday 
schools  in  general;  and  in  1843  ^^-  Passavant  printed  at 
Baltimore  his  Hymns,  selected  and  original,  for  Sunday 
schools,  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church.  They  con- 
tained little  specially  appealing  to  childhood. 

The  General  Synod  never  at  any  time  included  all  the 
synods  or  a  majority  of  Lutherans,  but,  in  the  absence  of 
any  English  hymn  book  put  forth  by  the  Pennsylvania 
Ministerium,  its  Hymns  selected  and  original  came  the 
nearest  to  being  the  common  hymn  book  of  English-speak- 
ing Lutherans.  It  came  into  use  in  probably  not  less  than 
four-fifths  of  their  congregations. ^'^^  Its  successive  editions 
mark  the  progress  of  the  Anglicizing  process,  and  cover  a 
period  in  which  the  ways  of  surrounding  denominations 

'"Report  on  Congregational  Singing  to  Ministerium  of  N.  Y.,  Sept. 
8,  1857,  p.  7- 

'"Bird,  ut  supra,  p.  223. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  419 

prevailed  over  Lutheran  traditions.  The  Hymnody  itself 
is  not  Lutheran,  but  is  drawn  from  outside;  it  may  rather 
be  described  as  well  within  the  lines  of  the  Evangelical 
Hymnody,  though  somewhat  heightened  in  color  through 
revivalistic  influences. 

The  foresight  of  the  prevalence  of  English  in  the  General 
Synod  had  kept  the  Synod  of  Ohio,  organized  in  18 18  on 
missionary  ground,  from  joining  in  its  formation. ^'*^  But 
provision  was  early  made  for  English  services,  at  which 
the  General  Synod's  Hymns  was  used.^^*^  The  Joint  Synod 
of  Ohio  and  other  States  was  formed  in  1833,  ^^^  kept  its 
independence  in  the  interests  of  strictly  confessional  Luther- 
anism.  It  is  therefore  not  surprising  that  Synod  discovered 
"the  strange  bias  of  many  hymns  in  the  book  [of  General 
Synod]."  This,  and  the  difficulty  and  expense  of  obtaining 
books  from  the  East^^^  led  to  the  publication  oi  A  Collection 
of  Hymns  and  Prayers  for  public  and  private  worship. 
Published  by  order  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Joint 
Synod  of  Ohio.  Zanesville,  printed  at  the  Lutheran  Stand- 
ard office,  184^.  Its  compilers  were  required  to  make  the 
General  Synod's  book,  as  already  considerably  in  use,  their 
basis,  and  they  added  some  hymns  from  the  New  York 
Collection  and  the  Episcopal  "Prayer  Book  Collection."  A 
very  churchly  collection  could  not  have  been  made  from 
these  sources,  but  a  much  better  collection  than  these  453 
hymns  could  readily  have  been  made.  To  avoid  the  "bias" 
of  the  old  book,  such  hymns  as  "Jesus,  Lover  of  my  soul," 
"Rock  of  Ages,"  "Love  Divine,  all  loves  excelling,"  and 
"When  I  survey  the  wondrous  cross,"  were  passed  by. 
The  new  book  belongs  to  the  school  of  Watts.  He  and 
Doddridge  and  Steele  furnish  more  than  half  the  hymns, 
while  Wesley  and  the  writers  of  the  Revival  have  less  than 
forty. 

The  book  did  not  satisfy  the  churches,  and  after  various 

""Jacobs,  op.  cit.,  p.  359. 
""Ohio  Synod's  preface,  1845. 


420  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

resolutions  in  the  several  districts,  the  Joint  Synod  pub- 
lished Collection  of  Hymns  for  public  and  private  worship. 
Published  by  order  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Joint  Synod 
of  Ohio.  Columbus  (n.  d.,  2nd  ed.,  1855;  3rd  ed.,  1858; 
4th  ed.,  1863).  It  was  a  sincere  and  not  ineffective  effort 
to  make  a  Lutheran  hymn  book.  The  compilers  had  been 
instructed  "to  adapt  the  hymn  book  to  the  ecclesiastical 
year,"  ^^^  but  found  "our  English  hymnology  rather 
barren,"  and  were  able  to  provide  only  for  the  greater 
feasts  and  fasts.  The  collection  includes  51  versions  of 
German  hymrls,  and  brings  forward  as  translators  and 
hymn  writers  Dr.  Matthias  Loy  (nine  versions,  7  originals), 
Prof.  L.  Heyl  (7  versions,  i  original),  J.  H.  Good  (4  ver- 
sions), Dr.  Wilham  M.  Reynolds  (2  new  versions,  with 
3  taken  from  General  Synod's  book). 

This  later  edition  of  the  Ohio  book  marks  the  transition 
from  the  earlier  period  of  Lutheran  Hymnody,  when  it 
was  satisfied  merely  to  appropriate  the  current  Evangelical 
Hymnody,  to  the  later  period  when  the  Hymnody  was 
made  to  embody  Lutheran  traditions  and  ideals. 


VIII 
DIVERSE  CURRENTS  OF  HYMNODY 

Even  in  colonial  times  some  trends  of  theological  thought 
began  to  manifest  a  departure  from  the  old  orthodoxy. 
And  to  these  were  added  by  importation  from  abroad 
various  exotic  growths  of  religious  opinion  and  practice 
which  found  here  more  or  less  congenial  soil  and  developed 
into  independent  sects  openly  antagonistic  of  the  faith  and 
church  order  of  the  denominations  already  established  in 
America. 

Among  the  earliest  and  most  interesting  of  the  new  move- 
ments was  the  Unitarian  revolt  whose  early  dealings  with 
the  accepted  Hymnody  we  have  already  traced  in  connec- 

^'Treface. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  421 

tion  with  the  New  England  Congregationahsm  from  which 
it  proceeded.  With  some  other  aspects  of  the  Hymnody  of 
theological  revolt  we  have  now  to  concern  ourselves. 

I.     Early  Universalist  Hymns    (1776- 1849) 

Expelled  from  Whitefield's  meeting,  and  coming  to 
America  in  1770  as  an  avowed  disciple  of  James  Relly, 
John  Murray  became  the  founder  of  American  Universal- 
ism.  As  part  of  a  propaganda  of  the  new  faith  he  secured 
223  subscribers  to  a  reprint  of  the  Rellys'  Christian  Hymns, 
Poems  and  Spiritual  Songs,  sacred  to  the  praise  of  God 
our  Saviour  (London,  1770)/^^  from  the  press  of  Isaac 
Collins  at  Burlington,  N.  J.,  in  1776.  Among  the  sub- 
scribers were  38  persons  in  the  First  Parish  of  Gloucester, 
Mass.,  where  Murray  had  preached,  who  soon  formed  the 
First  Independent  Church  of  Christ,  introduced  the  Relly 
book,  and  continued  to  use  it  until  1808.^^^  It  thus  became 
the  first  hymn  book  of  American  Universalism.  A  historia^ 
of  the  denomination  says  that  from  the  hymn  books  then 
in  general  use  "it  was  difficult  for  Universalists  to  select 
any  that  did  not  decidedly  antagonize  their  belief."  ^^^  A 
much  greater  difficulty  must  have  been  found  in  making 
use  of  the  Relly  book  with  its  irregular  metres,  especially 
in  a  church  where  the  singing  was  accompanied  by  a  crank 
organ  having  in  its  barrel  only  ten  psalm  tunes. ^^'^  / 

A  second  reprint  of  the  Relly  book  appeared  at  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H.,  in  1782,  for  Noah  Parker,  a  convert  of 
Murray's  who  preached  to  a  congregation  gathered  in  that 
town.^®^  Appended  were  five  "Hymns,  by  J.  [ohn] 
M.  [urray]."  They  have  little  originality  but  are  smooth 
in  rhythm,  and  show  that  Murray  understood  the  Congre- 
gational Hymn  much  better  than  did  the  Rellys. 

'^'See  chap,  vii,  part  III. 

'**Richard  Eddy,  Universalism  in  Gloucester,  Mass.,  Gloucester,  1892, 
pp.  21,  48,  and  appx.  E. 

'""R.  Eddy  in  "American  Church  History  Series,"  vol.  x,  p.  473. 
^^^Univcrsalism  in  Gloucester,  p.  21.  '"Ibid.,  appx.  E,  p.  129. 


422  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  an  independent  move- 
ment disrupting  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Philadelphia, 
where  Elhanan  Winchester  had  preached  "an  universal 
restoration,"  and  of  the  two  collections  of  hymns  made 
for  his  expelled  followers  who  organized  in  1781  as  "The 
Society  of  Universal  Baptists."  ^^^  Winchester's  theology 
was  very  different  from  Murray's,  and  his  hymn  books 
much  nearer  the  evangelical  type  than  the  Rellyan  book; 
and  he  brought  large  accessions  to  the  Universalist  ranks, 
especially  from  Baptist  congregations. ^^^ 

The  need  of  establishing  a  common  basis  and  some  sort 
of  organization  among  the  congregations  brought  about 
the  Philadelphia  Convention  of  1790,  which  at  its  1791 
session  perfected  arrangements  for  a  common  hymn  book. 
But  correspondence  with  the  Boston  church  revealed  in 
the  matter  of  Church  Song  also  divergence  of  opinion. 
The  Philadelphians  were  preparing  a  metrical  exposition 
of  Universalism :  the  Bostonians  demanded  a  book  of 
praise.  Agreement  proving  unattainable,  each  party  to  the 
controversy  proceeded  to  publish  its  own  book.  The  Con- 
vention hymn  book  appeared  as  Evangelical  Psalms,  Hymns 
and  Spiritual  Songs,  selected  from  various  authors,  and 

"'Chap,  iv,  part  IV,  section  III,  2,   (i). 

"°D.  Benedict,  A  general  History  of  the  Baptist  Denomination, 
Boston,  1813,  vol.  i,  p.  275.  In  England  also,  where  he  spent  more 
than  six  years  (1787-1794),  Winchester  preached  Restorationism  and 
published  hymns  and  hymn  books.  In  1794  appeared  The  Universalist's 
Hymn  Book;  containing  I.  Original  Hymns  .  .  .  by  Elhanan  Win- 
chester. //.  An  Appendix,  consisting  of  a  small  but  choice  Collection 
of  Hymns,  from  several  authors,  particularly  designed  for  the  use  of 
those  congregations  who  believe  in  the  Millenium,  and  the  Universal 
Restoration  (London:  printed  for  the  author).  In  1797  (the  year  of 
his  death  on  April  18  at  Hartford)  appeared  in  London  The  Psalms 
of  David,  versified  from  a  new  translation,  and  adapted  to  Christian 
worship.  Particularly  intended  for  the  use  of  such  Christians  as  be- 
lieve in  the  universal  and  unbounded  love  of  God,  manifested  unto  all 
his  fallen  creatures  by  Christ  Jesus.  To  which  is  added  A  Collection 
of  Hymns  by  various  authors  (London:  printed  for  the  author).  This 
is  generally  attributed  to  Winchester  and  was  evidently  connected 
with  the  chapel  where  he  preached. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  423 

published  by  a  committee  of  the  Convention  of  the  Churches, 
believing  in  the  restitution  of  all-men,  met  in  Philadelphia, 
May  25,  lygi  (Philadelphia,  T.  Dobson,  1792).  There 
are  192  hymns  arranged  in  groups  under  the  name  of  the 
author  or  source,  and  114  are  from  Universalist  sources: 
38  of  them  from  the  Relly  book,  with  the  5  added  by 
Murray.  There  are  35  by  Silas  Ballou,  an  argumentative 
rhymer  of  Vermont  who  had  printed  his  New  Hymns  on 
various  subjects  in  1785  (Worcester:  2nd  ed.,  Newbury, 
1797)  :  and  15  from  Winchester's  Choice  Collection  of 
1784,  many  of  which  are  however  Evangelical  standards. 
One  of  the  compilers,  Artis  Seagrave  of  New  Jersey,  con- 
tributed 21  original  hymns  which  are  much  better  than 
Ballou's.  The  remainder  of  the  book  consists  of  groups 
from  Watts,  Hart,  Rippon's  Selection,  J.  Barclay  and  Ralph 
Erskine. 

The  Boston  book  appeared  in  the  same  year,  as  Psalms, 
Hymns,  and  Spiritual  Songs:  selected  and  original. 
Designed  for  the  use  of  the  Church  Universal,  in  public 
and  private  devotion  (Boston,  1792).  The  originals  were 
52  hymns  of  moderate  merit  contributed  by  the  principal 
editor,  the  Rev.  George  Richards, ^^*^  whose  preface  is  still 
suggestive.  Richards'  "name  and  fame"  as  a  "forgotten 
poet  of  American  freedom  and  harmonious  elegist  of 
General  Washington"  was  revived  by  Edward  Everett 
Hale,^"^  but  his  personality  and  his  hymn  book  are  more 
interesting  than  his  hymns.  Declining  to  set  forth  "the 
attributes  and  perfections  of  Deity,"  he  started  at  Creation 
and  followed  the  progressive  revelation  of  salvation.  Be- 
ginning with  a  purpose  of  revising  and  enlarging  the  Relly 
book,  hitherto  used  in  the  Boston  church,  he  surveyed  the 
whole  field  of  the  Evangelical   Hymnody,   and  ended  by 

""They  were  omitted  from  a  2nd  ed.  of  the  Boston  book  as  copy- 
righted property,  and  restored  as  an  appendix  to  the  third  ed.  (Boston, 
1808)  by  Richards'  permission. 

"'In  Old  and  New  for  February,  1872,  and  see  Eddy,  Univcrsalism 
in  America,  vol.  i,  pp.  291,  ff. 


424  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

accepting  Rippon's  "beautiful  collection"  as  the  model  hymn 
book. 

The  Boston  book  was  followed  by  two  others  made  for 
local  use  and  flavored  with  the  Rellyan  theology.  One  was 
made  by  Edward  MitchelP^^  and  printed  in  1796  for  the 
New  York  congregation;  the  other,  for  the  Gloucester 
church,  appeared  at  Boston  in  1808.^''^  In  the  same  year 
appeared  a  book  designed  for  more  general  circulation: — 
Hymns  composed  by  different  authors,  by  order  of  the 
General  Convention  of  Universalists  of  the  New  England 
States  and  others.  Adapted  to  public  and  private  devotion 
(Walpole,  1808).  The  Convention  had  designed  a  collec- 
tion :^^^  what  its  committee  produced  and  published  was  a 
body  of  crude  originals  by  the  chairman,  Hosea  Ballou, 
Abner  Kneeland,  and  Edward  Turner.  ^^^  The  book  found, 
nevertheless,  some  acceptance,  and  reached  a  second  edition 
(Charlestown,  1810)  :  at  least  one  of  the  hymns  remaining 
till  now  in  Universalist  use. 

All  three  of  these  authors  tried  their  hands  again.  Knee- 
land  put  his  name  to  The  Philadelphia  Hymn  Book  (Phila- 
delphia, 1819),  which  was  merely  a  reissue  of  Eddowes 
and  Taylor's  Arian  Sacred  Poetry,  with  an  appendix  in 
which  the  three  figure  largely.  In  1821  Ballou  and  Turner 
brought  out  The  Universalists'  Hymn  Book  (Boston:  2nd 
ed.,  1824),  in  which  much  of  the  inferior  materials  they 
had  contributed  to  their  former  book  gave  way  to  standard 
hymns. 

Christian  Hymns  adapted  to  the  worship  of  God  our 
Saviour  (Boston,  1823)  was  made  for  the  society  in  Bul- 
finch  Street.  It  drew  from  Arian,  Evangelical,  Sweden- 
borgian  and  Universalist  sources,  but  failed  to  classify  the 
hymns.  Such  an  inconvenience  in  this  and  other  books  is 
given  as  one  of  the  reasons  for  publishing  The  new  Hymn 

^^^Ibid.,  p.  468. 

"'See  an  account  of  it  in  Universalism  in  Gloucester,  pp.  204  f. 

"*See  the  preface. 

"°C/.  Eddy,  in  "American  Church  History  Series,"  pp.  476  f. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  425 

Book  designed  for  Universalist  Societies  by  Sebastian  and 
Russell  Streeter  (Boston,  1829),  which  reached  a  35th 
edition  in  1845.  ^^^o  widely  used  was  A  Collection  of 
Psalms  and  Hymns  for  the  use  of  Universalist  Societies 
and  families.  By  Hosea  Ballou,  2nd  (Boston,  1837:  14th 
ed.,  1843) ;  and  the  two  books  were  not  unHke  in  seeking 
a  somewhat  more  critical  principle  in  the  selection  of  their 
hymns. 

From  a  number  of  unimportant  books  Abel  C.  Thomas' 
Hymns  of  Zion  with  appropriate  music  (Philadelphia, 
1839)  may  be  selected  as  the  first  within  the  denomination 
to  provide  tunes  for  the  hymns.  But  his  special  mission 
was  to  correct  "the  prosaic  and  inelegant  style"  of  "Watts, 
Rippon,  the  Wesleys,  and  other  devout  men."  Adin  Ballou's 
The  Hopedalc  Collection  of  Hymns  and  Songs,  for  the  use 
of  practical  Christians  (Hopedale,  Mass.,  1849)  sounded  a 
new  note  in  his  call  for  social  reform,  offering  sections  of 
hymns  upon  anti-slavery,  non-resistance,  a  new  social  state, 
and  like  themes. 

It  thus  appears  that  the  first  seventy-five  years  of  Amer- 
ican Universalism  were  prolific  in  the  production  of  hymn 
books,  and  of  hymn  writing  also,  since  almost  all  of  the 
editors  offered  original  hymns.  The  multiplicity  of  the 
books  is  explained  by  the  growth  of  the  denomination  and 
the  inconvenience  of  using  books  compiled  from  a  different 
point  of  view.  The  hymn  writing  is  partly  explained  by  the 
desire  to  give  expression  to  new  found  convictions,  partly, 
it  must  be  confessed,  by  a  lack  of  culture  that  failed  to 
perceive  the  want  of  poetic  feeling  or  expression  in  what 
was  offered,  and  made  hymn  writing  very  easy.  All  of 
this  writing  failed  to  produce  a  single  classic  of  Universal 
Salvation,  or  much  that  even  Universalism  has  cared  to 
preserve.  To  the  Churches  outside  it  has  not  contributed  a 
single  hymn,  or  in  any  way  affected  the  course  of  English 
Hymnody;  a  fact  the  more  notable  in  view  of  a  somewhat 
widespread  sympathy  outside  with  "Universal"  tenets  or 
hopes. 


426  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

2.      SWEDENBORGIAN   HyMNODY    (1792-1830) 

The  doctrines  of  Swedenborg  were  preached  in  this  coun- 
try as  early  as  1784,  and  in  1792  a  society  of  his  followers 
organized  at  Baltimore.  For  its  use  at  once  appeared  a  neat 
reprint  of  the  third  edition  of  the  New  Jerusalem  Church 
Liturgy,  printed  at  London,  1790,  by  Robert  Hindmarsh, 
including  a  reprint  of  the  Hymns  by  Joseph  Proud,  first 
appearing  at  London  in  1790  as  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs 
for  the  use  of  the  Lord's  New  Church.  Its  title  was  The 
Liturgy  of  the  New  Church,  signified  by  the  New  Jerusalem 
in  the  Revelation.  .  .  .  Also  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs, 
by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Joseph  Proud,  Minister  of  the  New  Church. 
The  fourth  edition  ( Baltimore :  Samuel  and  John  Adams, 
1792)  ;  and  the  hymns  number  304.  The  American  branch 
of  the  New  Church  was  thus  at  once  put  into  possession 
of  a  sufficient  body  of  hymns,  brimfull  of  its  peculiar  doc- 
trines and  written  much  in  the  Doddridge  manner. 

By  181 7  there  were  societies  enough  to  justify  a  con- 
vention, which  met  at  Philadelphia.  Five  years  later  ap- 
peared Hymns  for  the  use  of  the  Nezv  Church,  signified 
by  the  New  Jerusalem  in  the  Apocalypse.  Published  for 
the  use  of  the  New  Church,  by  T.  S.  Manning,  printer, 
Philadelphia,  1822-66.  The  285  hymns,  separately  paged, 
were  bound  in  with  The  Liturgy,  bearing  the  same  imprint. 
They  constitute  a  fresh  selection,  with  less  of  Proud  than 
would  be  expected;  his  hymns  having  perhaps  proved  too 
didactic  and  monotonous.  By  that  date  several  English 
New  Church  collections  were  available  as  sources,  and  a 
large  use  was  also  made  of  hymns  familiar  in  other 
Churches.  The  292  hymns  making  a  part  of  The  Order  of 
Worship,  for  the  use  of  the  Second  New  Jerusalem  Church 
of  Philadelphia  (Philadelphia,  1830)  were  substantially  the 
same  selection,  with  modifications. 

''The  New  Church"  thus  began  its  career  in  this  country 
with  an  unusual  equipment  in  the  way  of  a  Hymnody 
strictly  denominational,  but  none  the  less  with  a  decided 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  427 

disposition  to  retain  or  to  adapt  much  of  the  standard  Hym- 
nody  of  "the  Old  Church."  The  doctrine  of  the  unity  of 
the  Godhead  in  Jesus  left  available  a  considerable  body  of 
the  Evangelical  Hymnody  celebrating  Christ's  divinity; 
and  the  New  Church  was  still  ready  to  sing  "Blest  be  the 
tie  that  binds"  and  "Let  party  names  no  more."  ^^® 

3.     "Shaker  Music"  (1774-1893) 

Mother  Ann  Lee  came  to  America  in  1774  with  the 
revelation  of  the  Kingdom  and  way  of  life  she  had  received 
during  her  English  imprisonment,  and  established  a  celibate 
community  at  Watervliet,  N.  Y.  In  this  and  the  communi- 
ties later  formed,  the  inspirational  gifts  of  the  early  Church 
were  renewed,  as  manifested  by  "involuntary  operations  of 
singing  and  dancing" ;  and  the  devoted  "were  filled  with 
melodious  and  heavenly  songs,  especially  while  under  the 
operation  of  dancing."  ^^^  There  was  no  printed  hymn  book 
for  common  use  till  181 2- 13,  when  140  hymns  composed  in 
the  various  communities  were  gathered  up  in  Millenial 
Praises,  containing  a  Collection  of  Gospel  Hymns,  in  four 
parts;  adapted  to  the  day  of  Christ's  second  appearing. 
Composed  for  the  use  of  his  people.  Hancock,  printed  by 
Josiah  Tallcott,  junior,  181^.  The  hymns  are  set  forth  not 
as  inspirational,  but  as  the  fruit  of  "the  labors  of  Believers" 
"in  this  line."  They  are  argumentative,  descriptive,  homi- 
letical,  doctrinal,  but  practically  never  worshipful  with  a 
direct  address  to  God ;  filled  on  the  one  hand  with  Scripture 
history  and  terminology,  and  on  the  other  with  references 
to  Mother  Ann: — "So  says  our  blessed  mother";  "our 
Mother  paved  the  way" ;  "The  Son  of  Man,  Who  was 
revealed  in  Mother  Ann";  (reminiscently)  "xA.s  Mother 
Ann  did  say."  The  doctrine  is  aggressively  Shaker,  and 
like  almost  all  sectarian  Hymnody  the  hymns  have  no 
literary  merit. 

"'Collection  of  1822,  Nos.  213,  214.  ' 

"'.(4  summary  view  of  the  Millenial  Church,  Albany,  1823,  p.  80. 


428  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

The  Canterbury  community  published  in  1847  ^  Collec- 
tion of  Millcnial  Hymns,  adapted  to  the  present  order  of 
the  Church,  and  in  1852  A  sacred  repository  of  Hymns 
and  Anthems,  accompanied  by  original  melodies.  By  this 
time  the  store  of  Shaker  anthems  and  hymns  had  become 
"a  multiplicity."  These  selections  show  more  metrical  facility 
and  an  uninterrupted  praise  of  "The  Queen  of  fair  Zion." 
In  the  West,  especially,  Richard  McNemar  has  been  re- 
garded as  the  poet  of  Shakerism,  the  father  of  its  songs 
and  journalism. ^^^  He  gathered  in  1833,  under  the 
pseudonym  of  Philos  Harmoniae,  A  Selection  of  Hymns 
and  Poems;  for  the  use  of  believers  (Watervliet,  O.), 
including  many  of  his  own. 

There  was  some  elementary,  "but  little  scientific,  musical 
education"  in  the  communities,  and  the  composers,  like  the 
writers  "chiefly  relied  upon  the  teachings  of  the  Spirit."  ^^^ 
Shaker  Music.  Inspirational  Hymns  and  melodies  illus- 
trative of  the  resurrection  life  and  testimony  of  the  Shakers 
(Albany,  1875:  rev.  ed.  New  York,  Pond  &  Co.,  1884) 
and  Original  Shaker  Music.  Published  by  the  North  family 
of  Mt.  Lebanon  (Pond,  1893),  ^^^  ^or  the  benefit  of  the 
outside  world,  and  reveal  the  inspirational  music  as  not 
greatly  differing  from  the  middle-century  Bradbury  type 
of  Sunday  school  songs. 

4.     Adventist  Hymns  (1843-1887) 

It  was  not  till  the  second  quarter  of  the  century  that 
William  Miller  went  from  town  to  town  with  his  interpre- 
tation of  Prophecy  and  his  charts,  and  raised  the  "Midnight 
Cry"  of  the  end  of  the  world  in  1843.  The  alarm-call 
sounded  by  him  and  his  band  of  preachers,  and  circulated 
in  lurid  tracts,  propagated  a  revival  of  the  fanatical  sort, 
whose  converts  up  to  the  expected  day  of  Christ's  coming 

^"^See  J.  P.  MacLean,  The  Life  of  Richard  McNemar  (Franklin, 
O.)  ;  and,  for  Shaker  hymn  books,  his  A  Bibliography  of  Shaker 
Literature,  Columbus,  1905. 

"'Preface  to  Shaker  Music,  1884. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  429 

have  been  estimated  at  over  50,000.^^^  The  atmosphere  of 
the  tent  meetings  was  intensely  emotional,  and  the  excite- 
ment found  expression  in  what  has  been  called  a  "barbaric 
ecstacy"  of  song,  quite  beyond  the  control  of  the  more  sober 
leaders.  The  hymns  or  "spirituals"  are  preserved  in  a 
little  pamphlet  of  36  pages:  Hymns,  designed  for  the  use 
of  the  Second  Advent  Band.  "In  eighteen  hundred  forty- 
three,  Will  he  the  year  of  Jubilee."  Published  by  N.  Stevens 
and  H.  B.  Skinner,  184^.  The  opening  hymn  begins 
(omitting  the  repeats)  : — 

"You  will  see  your  Lord  a  coming 
To  the  old  church  yards, 
With  a  band  of  music, 

Sounding  it  through  the  air." 

It  was  the  great  favorite,  sung  to  "The  Old  Granite 
State,"  "*^^  and  is  typical  of  the  whole  collection. 

When  the  tense  expectancy  of  the  last-day  meetings  re- 
mained unrewarded,  and  1843  had  passed.  Miller  organized 
his  followers,  at  Albany  in  1845,  ^s  "Adventists,"  with  a 
chastened  faith  in  the  imminent  and  literal  Second  Coming. 
With  renewed  hope  came  growth  that  still  continues,  and 
with  new  prophets  came  disintegration,  until  now  the 
original  "Millerism"  is  represented  by  six  distinct  sects  of 
Adventists. 

The  Evangelical  Adventists,  with  the  American 
Millenial  Association,  represent  the  original  body;  and  their 
Hymnody  became  the  care  of  J.  V.  Himes,  one  of  Miller's 
early  disciples.  His  earlier  book,  Millenial  Harp:  for  meet- 
ings on  the  Second  Coming  of  Christ,  appeared  in  three 
parts,  and  complete  in  1846  (Boston)  :  and,  as  modified  in 
the  light  of  use,  reappeared  as  The  Advent  Harp;  designed 
for  believers  in  the  speedy  coming  of  Christ  (Boston: 
J.  V.  Himes,  1849).  It  is  of  odd  construction,  consisting 
of   a  church  hymnal   of   310  numbers,    followed   by   259 

"""Jane    M.    Parker,    in    The    Review   and    Expositor    (Louisville), 
January,  191 1,  p.  51. 
'"'Ibid.,  p.  53. 


430  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

pages  of  Advent  and  other  songs,  unnumbered,  that  are 
set  to  music.  The  authors  of  the  Advent  songs  are  unnamed, 
but  they  are  less  crude  than  at  first,  and  it  is  notable  that 
many  express  no  more  than  the  conventional  longing  for 
heaven.  The  Harp:  compiled  by  John  Pearson,  jr.  (Boston : 
J.  V.  Himes,  1856) -"^  jg  even  more  of  the  church  hymnal 
type,  with  the  usual  provision  for  subjects  and  occasions, 
though  an  unusual  emphasis  on  "Messiah's  triumph  and 
reign."  Its  ample  provision  of  1164  hymns  would  suggest 
to  the  uninitiated  the  expectation  of  a  long  wait. 

The  Advent  Christians  organized  in  1861  with  the 
doctrine  of  conditional  immortality  and  the  practice  of  im- 
mersion in  their  principles.  The  Jubilee  Harp  (Boston: 
Advent  Christian  Pub.  Soc,  1867)  shows  a  preference  for 
hymns  and  music  of  the  lighter  type,  including  "You  will 
see  your  Lord  a  coming."  The  Nezv  Jubilee  Harp  of  1881 
is  largely  of  the  "Gospel  Hymns"  type.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  a  supplement  became  expedient  to  meet  the  demand 
for  more  "of  the  hymns  of  the  fathers"  ;  which  phrase  seems 
to  include  familiar  church  hymns  as  well  as  early  Advent 
songs.  The  Hymns  of  the  Morning  (Concord,  N.  H., 
1872),  compiled  by  Charles  C.  Barker  of  West  Meriden, 
was  in  the  nature  of  a  small  alternate  to  The  Jubilee  Harp, 
and  pointed  an  unintended  contrast  by  its  large  use  of  the 
Advent  hymns  of  Horatius  Bonar.  It  was  enlarged  as 
Hymns  of  the  Advent  (Springfield,  1881). 

Hymns  and  Tunes  for  those  who  keep  the  command- 
ments of  God  and  the  faith  of  Jesus  (Battle  Creek,  Mich- 
igan, 1876)  represents  the  organized  Seventh-day  Ad- 
VENTiSTS,  obeying  the  commandment  to  keep  that  day  holy. 
It  has  a  sober  standard  of  hymns  and  tunes,  with  which  most 
of  the  Advent  hymns,  not  unduly  numerous,  comply.  The 
Seventh-day  Adventist  Hymn  and  Tune  Book:  published  by 
the  General  Conference    (Washington,    1887)    is  a  com- 

^'"'First  published  anonymously:  reprinted  by  the  American  Mil- 
lenial  Association  (n.  d.)  with  trifling  changes,  and  attributed  to 
Pearson. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  431 

promise  between  a  church  hymnal  and  a  gospel  song  book ; 
"some  old  melodies  of  which  were  favorites  in  the  great 
Advent  movement  of  1840-44"  giving  interest  to  the  latter 
department. 

The  three  remaining  sects  of  Adventists  are  very  small. 
It  will  be  sufficient  to  mention  as  recent  rather  than  eminent 
The  Christian  Hymnal  (Plymouth.  Ind.  1887),  edited  by 
James  W.  Wilson  for  The  Churches  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus, 
better  known  as  "Age-to-come  Adventists."  A  candid 
review  of  Adventist  Hymnody  compels  the  conviction  that 
both  the  original  "Midnight  Cry,"  the  later  "Waiting 
Church"  and  "the  new  Dawn,"  which  are  its  special  themes, 
have  found  far  more  adequate  treatment  elsewhere. 

5.     Mormon  Hymns  (1830-1891) 
The  Mormon  movement  was  practically  contemporaneous 
with  Millerism,  and  was  also  prolific  in  hymns.     In  July 
of  the  same  year  in  which  the  Book  of  Mormon  was  pub- 
lished (1830)  came  a  "revelation  through  Joseph  the  Seer" 
to  Emma  Smith:— Tt  shall  be  given  thee  also  to  make  a 
selection  of  sacred  hymns,  as  it  shall  be  given  thee,  which  is 
pleasing  unto  me,  to  be  had  in  my  church;  for  my  soul 
delighteth  in  the  song  of  the  heart,  yea,  the  song  of  the 
righteous  is  a  prayer  unto  me."  ^^^     This  revelation  and 
inspirational  hymn  writing  was  at  one  with  the  visions, 
ministries  of  angels,  tongues,  healings,  miracles,  which  sup- 
ported the  unique  claim  of   Mormonism  to   supernatural 
origin.     Several  early  hymn  books  followed :  A  Collection 
of  sacred  Hymns  (New  York,  1838),  and  one  at  Nauvoo 
(then  the  principal  seat)  in  1841 ;  A  Collection  of  sacred 
Hymns  adapted  to  the  faith  and  views  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus   Christ   of  Latter-day   Saints.      Compiled    by   John 
Hardy  (Boston:  Dow  and  Jackson's  press,  1843  I  reprinted, 
Voree,    1849);  ^   Collection   of  sacred   Hymns  for   the 

""The  doctrine  and  covenants  .  .  .  given  to  Joseph  Smith,  jun.,  the 
Prophet,  ed.  Salt  Lake  City,  1883,  p.  136. 


432  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  By  Sidney 
Rigdon  (Pittsburgh,  1845)  ^.nd  one  with  similar  title  by 
Charles  A.  Adams  (Bellows  Falls,  1845). 

The  principal  interest  attaches  to  a  collection  made  for 
the  important  English  mission  which  became  so  great  a 
feeder  to  the  denomination  in  America,  with  a  preface 
signed  by  Brigham  Young,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  and  John 
Taylor  (Manchester,  1840;  8th  ed.,  Liverpool,  1849;  nth, 
Liverpool,  1856;  13th,  Liverpool,  1869).  It  was  printed 
in  Utah  for  the  first  time  as  Sacred  Hymns  and  Spiritual 
Songs,  for  the  use  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints.  Fourteenth  edition  ( Salt  Lake  City :  George 
Q.  Cannon,  1871;  20th  ed.,  with  additions,  1891). 

The  Mormon  hymn  book  is  an  exception  to  the  rule  of 
dulness  governing  sectarian  Hymnody.  Its  interest  is  not 
in  the  familiar  hymns  of  worship  {c.  g.  "Sweet  is  the  work, 
my  God,  my  King")  or  of  experience  {e.  g.  "God  moves  in  a 
mysterious  way"),  though  these  take  a  new  color  from 
their  surroundings.  The  interest  of  the  Mormon  Hymnody 
is  its  intense  sectariansm.  The  Mormon  history  reads  like 
a  romance  rather  than  a  reality;  and  the  hymn  book  pre- 
sents almost  every  phase  and  important  event  of  that 
history  as  imbedded  in  contemporaneous  hymns  or  songs 
that  are  at  worst  human  documents  and  that  often  rise  to 
the  level  of  effective  song.     We  thus  have: — 

"The  Spirit  of  God  like  a  fire  is  burning  I 

The  latter-day  glory  begins  to  come  forth ;"  '"* 

one  of  the  hymns  with  which  the  first  Mormon  elders  accom- 
panied their  preaching  from  town  to  town,  and  which  cast 
something  like  a  spell  upon  emotional  hearers: 

"Adieu  to  the  city  where  long  I  have  wandered 

To  tell  them  of  judgments  and  warn  them  to  flee;" 

Elder  P.  P.  Pratt's  lamentation  over  New  York  in  1838,  on 

'"*No.  244  (ed.  1891,  W.  W.  Phelps)  ;  and  cf.  T.  B.  H.  Stenhouse, 
The  Rocky  Mountain  Saints,  New  York,  1873,  pp.  i,  2. 


EVANGELICAL  HYMNODY  IN  AMERICA  433 

leaving  it  to  its  prophesied  ruin :  the  song  of  Exodus, — 
"The  shepherds  have  lifted  their  sweet  warning  voice, 
And  called  us  to  flee  to  the  land  of  God's  choice:"^"" 

and  those  of  the  march;  such  as 

"We'll  find  the  place  which  God  for  us  prepared, 
Far  away  in  the  West :"  ^"^ 

the  elegy  of  the  murdered  prophet, — 

"He's  free!  he's  free!  the  Prophet's  free:'""' 

the  visions  of  Zion  among  its  hills,  beneath  the  flag  of  its 
temporal  sovereignty, — 

"O  Saints,  have  ye  seen  o'er  yon  mountain's  proud  height. 
The  day-star  of  promise  so  brilliantly  beaming! 
Its  rays  shall  illumine  the  world  with  its  light, 
And  the  ensign  of  Zion,  exultingly  streaming :"  '''"'* 

and  last  the  appealing  song  of  the  Church  at  home, — 
"In  thy  mountain  retreat,  God  will  strengthen  thy  feet; 

On  the  necks  of  thy  foes  thou  shalt  tread ; 
And  their  silver  and  gold,  as  the  Prophets  foretold. 

Shall  be  brought  to  adorn  thy  fair  head. 
O  Zion!  dear  Zion!  home  of  the  free. 

Soon  thy  towers  shall  shine  with  a  splendor  divine, 
And  eternal  thy  glory  shall  be."^"' 

Many  of  the  songs  that  enlivened  the  Mormon  pilgrim- 
age are  naturally  omitted  from  their  book  of  worship,  and 
of  the  hymns  of  Mormon  doctrine  the  most  peculiar  has 
been  dropped  from  later  editions : — 

"The  God  that  others  worship  is  not  the  God  for  me; 
He  has  no  parts  nor  body,  and  cannot  hear  or  see;  .  .  ." 
(2)     "A  Church  without  a  Prophet  is  not  the  Church  for  me." 
(5)     "The  Heaven  of  sectarians  is  not  the  heaven  for  me.""'" 

The  Hymnody  of  Zion  has  played  a  great  part  in  the 

"°Hymn  305   (W.  Ross). 

'""Hymn  47,  stanza  3   (W.  Clayton). 

'"Hymn  290,  stanza  4   (J.  Taylor). 

"'Hymn  58  (P.  P.  Pratt). 

"'Hymn  316,  stanza  3  (C.  W.  Penrose)  sung  to  "Lily  Dale."  "No 
words  can  express  the  electrifying  influence  of  this  song  upon  a 
Mormon  audience."     Stenhouse,  op.  cit,,  p.  374. 

"°No.  297   (Anon.)  of  the  edition  of  1871. 


434  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

upbuilding  of  Mormonism,  as  by  its  virility  and  contagious 
enthusiasm  it  was  well  fitted  to  do.  It  appropriates  the 
whole  history  of  Israel  and  in  enshrining  historical  occasion 
resembles  the  Old  Testament  Psalter.  It  has  been  naturally 
a  Hymnody  apart  from  that  of  the  historic  Church,  from 
which  it  has  borrowed  to  some  extent,  and  from  which  it 
does  not  differ  so  far  as  the  manner  of  using  hymns  in 
worship  is  concerned. 


,      CHAPTER  IX 

THE  HYMNODY  OF  THE   ROMANTIC 
MOVEMENT 


THE  LITERARY  HYMN 

The  early  years  of  the  XlXth  century  saw  that  revival  of 
Romanticism  which  gave  new  Hfe  and  wealth,  new  themes 
and  methods,  to  English  Poetry.  Hymnody  at  its  worst 
lies  within  the  realm  of  verse,  and  is  likely  to  reflect  the 
poetic  ideals  and  lyrical  manner  of  its  time.  But  English 
Hymnody  caught  from  the  Romantic  Movement  much  more 
than  a  reflection  or  even  an  enrichment :  it  took  an  impulse 
and  direction  that  permanently  modified  it  and  will  in  the 
judgment  of  some  eventually  transform  it. 

If  Shelley's  unmoral  attitude  of  artistic  elevation  had 
been  the  standpoint  of  the  new  movement,  it  might  doubtless 
have  come  and  gone  with  no  perceptible  influence  on  Hym- 
nody. The  actual  conditions  were  such  as  to  induce  The 
Eclectic  Review  to  say  that  "either  poetry  is  growing  more 
religious,  or  religion  more  poetical."  ^  Among  the  leaders 
Coleridge  had  his  "Religious  Musings"  and  "Hymn  before 
Sunrise,"  Wordsworth  his  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets,  Scott  his 
"Hymn  of  Rebecca"  and  Dies  Irae,  Moore  his  Sacred  Songs, 
and  even  Byron  his  Hebrew  Melodies.  And  from  the  lesser 
poets  and  the  general  chorus  came  a  copious  outpouring  of 
sacred  song.  As  early  as  1799  Thomas  Gisborne  published 
his  Poems  sacred  and  moral,  appending  his  hymns  in  1803. 
Joseph  Dacre  Carlyle's  Poems  appeared  in  1805,  and  Sir 

Tor  October,  1825. 

435 


436  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Robert  Grant  printed  the  first  of  his  hymns  in  The  Christian 
Observer  in  1806.  Ann  and  Jane  Taylor  pubhshed  Hymns 
for  the  Nursery  in  1806,  and  Hymns  for  Infant  Minds  in 
1809.  In  1807  Southey  edited  the  Remains  of  Henry  Kirke 
White.  In  1809  Reginald  Heber  printed,  his  Palestine,  and 
between  181 1  and  1816  many  of  his  hymns.  Mrs.  Hemans 
began  her  essentially  religious  verse  in  the  volume  of  1812, 
and  James  Edmeston  in  The  Search  (181 7)  and  Sacred 
Lyrics  (1820)  began  his  voluminous  hymn  writing.  James 
Montgomery  published  his  Songs  of  Zion  in  1822,  and  The 
Christian  Psalmist  in  1825;  John  Bowring  his  Matins  and 
Vespers  in  1823,  and  his  Hymns  in  1825 ;  Thomas  Grenfield 
his  The  Omnipresence  of  God  in  1824;  Bernard  Barton  his 
Devotional  Verses,  and  Caroline  Bowles  Southey  her  Soli- 
tary Hours,  in  1826. 

Then  came  the  remarkable  year  1827,  in  which  appeared 
John  Keble's  The  Christian  Year,  Robert  Pollok's  The 
Course  of  Time,  James  Montgomery's  The  Christian  Poet, 
the  posthumous  Hymns  of  Bishop  Heber  with  those  of 
Henry  Hart  Milman,  and  The  Union  Collection  of  Hymns 
and  sacred  Odes  edited  by  John  Curtis. 

Of  the  leaders  of  the  Romantic  Movement  whom  we 
have  named  all  but  Shelley  have  been  given  some  place  in 
the  hymn  books,  though,  except  for  Moore,  their  voluntary 
contribution  to  Hymnody  was  small.  Coleridge  wrote  a 
carol,  a  hymn  for  Christ's  Hospital  and  two  or  three  more.^ 
Wordsworth  wrote  "The  Labourer's  Noon-day  Hymn" 
("Up  to  the  throne  of  God  is  borne"),  and  was  much  grati- 
fied to  learn  of  its  use  in  a  village  school.^  Some  of 
Byron's  Hebrew  Melodies  were  so  closely  akin  to  hymns 
as  to  draw  from  friends  a  laughing  comparison  with  Stern- 
hold  and  Hopkins.^ 

'His  "Child's  Evening  Prayer"  is  in  Dr.  James  Martineau's  hymn 
books. 

•■'Wordsworth,  Poetical  Works,  Globe  ed.,  1888,  p.  731,  note. 

^Moore's  Works  of  Lord  Byron,  1832,  vol.  iii,  p.  190.  Three  of  the 
Melodies  have  found  place  in  hymn  books. 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  437 

However  casual  the  hymn  writing  of  these  greater  poets, 
the  influence  of  their  example  in  allying  poetry  with  the 
themes  of  religion  took  shape  in  a  deliberate  effort  of  many 
lesser  poets  and  verse  makers  to  put  poetic  feeling  and 
literary  art  at  the  service  of  Hymnody.  In  the  series  of 
their  publications  already  noted,  and  thenceforward,  we 
have  a  new  school  of  hymn  writers,  consisting  of  poets  who 
do  not  hesitate  to  work  in  the  hymnic  form,  and  of  hymn 
writers  who  aim  to  produce  hymns  that  shall  make  the 
impression  of  poetry.  And  we  have  a  new  type  of  hymn, — 
the  Poetic  Hymn  one  is  tempted  to  call  it;  but  in  view  of 
variance  in  the  quality  and  degree  of  inspiration  and  of  the 
uncertain  criteria  of  poetry,  safety  lies  in  regarding  it  as 
the  Literary  Hymn.  The  Literary  Hymn  may  be  described 
as  one  in  which  heightened  feeling  seeks  to  confine  an  im- 
pression of  some  reality  of  religion  within  the  limits  of  the 
hymn  form.  The  Poetic  Hymn  is  simply  the  Literary 
Hymn  at  its  highest,  in  which  the  spirit  of  pure  devotion, 
apart  from  didactic  or  utilitarian  ends,  reveals  the  essential 
poetry  of  our  infinite  relationships.  There  was  thus  within 
the  limits  and  under  the  inspiration  of  the  Romantic  Move- 
ment in  English  Poetry  a  distinctive  Literary  Movement  in 
English  Hymnody. 


II 

REGINALD    HEBER'S    ROMANTIC    HYMNAL 
(1827) 

The  hymns  of  Reginald  Heber,  if  not  actually  the  very 
earliest,  were  the  first  to  reveal  the  full  scope  of  the  new 
departure;  and  in  inaugurating  and  giving  direction  to  the 
new  movement  he  was  unquestionably  the  leader. 

Heber's  correspondence  shows  him  in  1809  purposing  to 
introduce  hymn  singing  at  Hodnet  as  a  novelty  calculated  to 
increase  the  attendance  at  the  parish  church,  and  inquiring 
as  to  the  purchase  of  a  supply  of  Olncy  Hymns,  for  some 


438  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

of  which  he  expresses  great  admiration.^  He  speaks  of 
them  as  Cowper's,  and  it  seems  improbable  that  his  admi- 
ration covered  many  of  Newton's. 

In  The  Christian  Observer  for  October,  i8i  i,  Heber,  over 
the  initials  "D.  R.,"  published  four  original  hymns  as  speci- 
mens of  a  proposed  series  to  be  sung  between  the  Nicene 
Creed  and  sermon  on  the  Sundays  and  principal  holy  days 
of  the  year;  the  themes  of  the  hymns  to  be  more  or  less 
connected  with  the  epistle  and  gospel  for  the  day.  In  a 
prefatory  note  he  calls  attention  to  the  fulsome,  indecorous 
or  erotic  language  found  in  "popular  collections  of  sacred 
poetry,"  and  claims  for  his  own  hymns  no  more  than  their 
freedom  from  such  profanities,  except  that  in  alluding  to 
them  he  calls  them  "poems."  He  printed  additional  hymns 
in  subsequent  numbers  of  The  Christian  Observer  down  to 
May,  1812,  and  a  few  more  in  January,  1816. 

The  hymns  thus  appearing  represented  Heber's  personal 
contribution  to  a  hymn  book  he  had  projected  on  distinctly 
literary  lines ;  a  hymn  book  that  should  be  in  reality  "a  col- 
lection of  sacred  poetry."  From  the  work  of  earlier  hymn 
writers  he  made  selections  from  Drummond,  Ken,  Dryden, 
Addison,  Pope,  Cowper,  and  also  (unrecognized  by  himself  ) 
from  Watts  and  Charles  Wesley.  But  he  proposed  that  his 
book  should  represent  the  great  lyrical  development  of  the 
contemporary  school  of  Romantic  poets.  To  the  picturesque 
and  ringing  melodies  of  Scott,  Byron,  Moore  and  Campbell, 
he  conceived  his  own  hymns.  And  he  eagerly  sought  the 
co-operation  of  Scott,  Southey,  Milman  and  others  of  his 
literary  friends  f  though  securing  actual  contributions  from 
Milman  alone. ^ 

Rumors,  more  or  less  vague,  of  this  projected  hymnal  of 
the  poets,  spread  not  only  in  England  but,  through  the  Epis- 

^Life  of  Reginald  Heber,  by  his  Widow;  ed.  New  York,  1830,  vol.  i, 
p.  334- 

*Life,  ii,  26,  30,  57. 

'It  needs  to  be  recalled  that  Milman  was  one  of  the  most  popular 
of  the  Romantic  poets,  receiving  five  hundred  pounds  each  for  his 
three  religious  dramas. 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  439 

copal  periodicals,  in  America.  Muhlenberg  in  the  preface 
of  his  Church  Poetry,  1823,  doubts  if  the  project  will  ever 
be  realized,  and  from  his  evangelical  standpoint  heartily 
disapproves  of  it.  The  harps  of  Southey,  Scott  and  Moore, 
he  says,  "have  not  been  tuned  to  the  songs  of  Zion." 

For  this  Romantic  hymnal  Heber  sought  the  imprimatur 
of  the  Bishop  of  London  and  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury. 
To  that  end  he  entered  in  1820  into  correspondence  with  the 
Bishop  of  London,^  to  whom  he  submitted  the  manuscript  in 
its  incomplete  state.  He  secured  the  Bishop's  sympathy  and 
admiration,  but  also  his  judgment  that  the  time  was  not  ripe 
for  an  authorized  hymnal.^  This  manuscript  Heber  took 
with  him  to  India,  purposing  its  immediate  publication  for 
use  there ;  an  act  from  which  his  sudden  end  debarred  him. 
In  the  year  after  his  death  the  book  was  published  at  Lon- 
don by  his  widow  as  Hymns,  written  and  adapted  to  the 
weekly  church  service  of  the  year.  By  the  Right  Rev. 
Reginald  Heber,  D.D.,  late  Lord  Bishop  of  Calcutta. 
London:  John  Murray,  Alhemarle-street.  MDCCCXXVH; 
with  a  permitted  dedication  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury. Murray  brought  it  out  not  in  the  form  of  a  hymn 
book  but  as  a  wide-margined  octavo  with  uncut  edges,  bound 
in  gray  boards,  uniform  with  his  presentation  of  the  new 
poems  of  Byron  and  others  on  his  list.  It  was  reprinted  in 
India  and  at  New  York  ;^*^  and  many  times  at  London,  both 
sumptuously  and  in  more  compact  form  for  use  in  parochial 
worship. 

The  book  contained  57^^  hymns  by  Heber,  and  12  by 
Milman.  It  became  and  has  remained  self  evident  that 
Hymnody  had  a  great  accession  in  the  work  of  Heber  and 
Milman.  It  is  claimed  for  Heber,  what  could  be  claimed 
for  no  other  considerable  English  hymn  writer,  that  every 
hymn  he  wrote  is  to-day  in  common  use.^^ 

*Ihid.,  ii,  21-29.  "Ibid.,  n,  28. 

"G.  &  C.  Carvill,  108  Broadway,  1827. 

"One  was  added  in  the  edition  of  1828. 

"Cf.  W.  G.  Horder,  The  Hymn  Lover,  London,  n.  d.,  p.  145. 


440  THE.  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Upon  the  development  of  the  EngHsh  Hymn  itself  Heber's 
influence  was  quite  as  marked.  His  book  offered  a  new 
standard  of  Hymnody;  that  of  a  pure  but  carefully  re- 
strained devotion  accommodated  to  the  church  year,  and 
expressed  in  flowing  rhythms  with  poetic  grace  and  orna- 
ment. The  novelty  of  the  proposal  is  best  apprehended  by 
taking  a  retrospective  view  of  the  development  of  the  Eng- 
lish Hymn. 

Dr.  Johnson  in  his  Life  of  Waller  had  divorced  religion 
and  poetry,  on  the  ground  that  the  intercourse  of  the  soul 
with  God  was  in  a  realm  above  and  beyond  poetry,  and  an 
attempt  to  give  it  poetical  expression  necessarily  failed. 
Pious  verse  might  be  useful  to  assist  the  memory,  but  there 
was  no  religious  poetry.  With  differing  views,  but  prac- 
tically on  these  lines,  Dr.  Watts  laid  out  the  model  of  the 
modern  English  Hymn.  He  aimed  at  casting  the  ordinary 
speech  of  plain  people  into  metrical  form  to  assist  their 
devotions.  He  wrote  pious  verses,  and  when  he  rose  to 
poetry  it  was  unconsciously.  And  he  transmitted  to  a  school 
of  writers,  and  established  throughout  Dissent,  an  ideal  of 
Hymnody  that  shrank  from  free  rhythm  and  poetic  eleva- 
tion. Charles  Wesley  set  aside  the  Watts  model  and  also  the 
ordinary  bonds  of  spiritual  restraint,  and  poured  out  from  a 
surcharged  heart  his  inmost  thoughts  and  feelings  in  a  voice 
naturally  musical.  His  rapid,  impulsive  work  greatly  modi- 
fied the  ideal  of  the  Hymn  in  tone  and  form,  and  in  contents. 
But  his  work  was  spontaneous,  and  its  motive  was  not  liter- 
ary, and  at  the  time  perhaps  only  his  brother  realized  that 
at  certain  moments  it  attained  the  spirit  and  vesture  of 
poetry.  The  Evangelicals  made  use  of  both  the  dissenting 
and  the  Methodist  models,  inclining  on  the  whole  to  Dr. 
Johnson's  ideal  of  pious  verse  that  would  be  useful.  Of 
their  movement  indeed  nothing  could  be  less  characteristic 
than  any  effort  to  balance  or  to  reconcile  the  claims  of 
religion  and  of  culture.  Cowper  was  their  only  poet,  and 
his  hymns  were  simply  the  natural  and  sincere  expression 
of  very  deep  religious  feeling.     Of  the  Evangelical  hymn 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  44i 

writers  contemporaneous  with  Heber,  the  most  outstanding 
and  voluminous  was  Thomas  Kelly,  whose  earnest  evan- 
gelical preaching  was  repressed  by  the  Archbishop  of 
Dublin,  and  who  became  a  dissenter.  He  began  to  publish 
his  hymns  in  A  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  extracted 
from  various  authors,  by  Thomas  Kelly  (Dublin,  1802). 
This  was  followed  by  Hymns  on  various  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture (Dublin,  1804-1812)  and  Hymns  by  Thomas  Kelly 
(1 81 5-1 853).  Moderate  and  fluent,  sometimes  attaining 
excellence  and  utility,  one  is  hardly  conscious  of  any  direct 
influence  upon  Kelly  of  the  great  contemporaneous  outburst 
of  English  poetry.  As  a  whole  he  cultivated  rather  the 
commonplace,  and  over  the  area  of  his  765  hymns  he  beat 
it  out  to  palpable  thinness. 

But  with  James  Montgomery  there  is  a  change.  He  may 
be  accounted  as  a  minor  member  of  the  current  Romantic 
school,  and  even  in  that  great  day  he  created  and  retained 
a  provincial  dissenting  public  for  his  musical  verse.  In  the 
preface  to  his  Christian  Psalmist  (Glasgow,  1825),  he  com- 
bats Johnson's  theory  of  sacred  poetry  and  Watts'  theory  of 
the  Hymn,  and  criticizes  the  "negligence,  feebleness,  and 
prosing"  ^^  of  current  Hymnody.  But  he  is  able  to  gather 
461  hymns,  apart  from  his  own,  as  up  to  his  standard.  And 
the  collection  as  a  whole  shows  the  actual  standard  to  be  that 
of  a  refined  edification.  This  indeed  was  the  line  of  Mont- 
gomery's excellent  work  for  Hymnody.  He  helped  to 
refine  the  taste  of  the  dissenting  churches  especially;  at  the 
same  time  keeping  the  Hymn  close  to  Scripture  and  true  to 
the  ends  of  edification.  Montgomery  himself  wrote  hymns 
worthy  of  a  place  in  the  poetical  anthology,  but  he  did  not 
make  an  anthology  of  his  hymn  book.^'' 

Heber 's  Hymns  appeared  two  years  later  than  Mont- 

"p.  xxii. 

'*0f  Montgomery's  400  hymns  one  quarter  have  been  m  common 
use  Of  the  Hymn  type  the  best  are  perhaps  "Angels  from  the  realms 
of  glory,"  "Hail  to  the  Lord's  Anointed"  and  "Go  to  dark  Gethsemane" : 
of  the  Devotional  Poetry  type,  "For  ever  with  the  Lord"  has  been  most 
loved,  and  "Prayer  is  the  soul's  sincere  desire"  most  used. 


442  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

gomery's  Christian  Psalmist,  but  both  his  hymn  writing 
and  his  project  for  reforming  Hymnody  antedated  Mont- 
gomery's. In  any  case  he  was  the  first  to  propose  making 
the  current  taste  in  poetry  the  touchstone  of  EngHsh  hymns. 
His  poetic  standard  was  new — that  of  the  Romanticists,  and 
he  apphed  it  with  a  frankness  and  consistency  of  which 
Montgomery  would  not  have  dreamed.  He  was  thus  the 
founder  of  a  movement  to  subject  Enghsh  Hymnody  to 
the  hterary  motive. 

Heber's  and  Mihnan's  own  work  ilkistrates  both  the 
strength  and  the  Hmitations  of  the  new  movement.  It  at- 
tains instant  success  in  such  a  hymn  of  adoration  of  the 
Triune  God  as  "Holy !  Holy !  Holy !  Lord  God  Almighty !" 
upon  a  height  where  the  poet's  is  the  only  human  voice  one 
cares  to  hear.  It  succeeds  almost  as  well  in  the  descriptive 
hymn,  celebrating  the  events  chronicled  in  the  Christian 
Year.  But  in  the  hymn  of  spiritual  experience  the  literary 
motive  seems  to  invite  inquiry  whether  its  intrusion  has 
lowered  the  spiritual  temperature,  and  whether  its  welcome 
involves  any  sacrifice  of  spiritual  reality  or  depth.  It  is 
of  course  an  open  question  whether  or  not  these  hymns 
trenched  upon  the  domain  of  Devotional  Poetry  as  distinct 
from  Hymnody  proper.  But  on  the  whole  they  appear  to 
have  justified  themselves.  And  the  acceptance  of  them  by 
the  Church  established  a  new  type  of  hymn,  with  the  spirit 
and  expression  of  lyrical  poetry,  a  conscious  literary  motive, 
and  an  untrammelled  metrical  development.  One  of  Heber's 
hymns,  "The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war,"  seems  to 
reflect  the  whole  course  of  the  development  of  the  English 
Hymn.  Its  lyric  virility  is  in  such  contrast  to  the  plodding 
strains  that  preceded  it,  the  first  impression  it  created  so 
novel,  until,  this  wearing  off,  it  became  a  standard  hymn 
in  all  the  Churches,  only  to  be  questioned  at  last  by  a  new 
spirit  uprisen  in  the  Churches,  and  recast  by  Samuel  Long- 
fellow in  his  "God's  trumpet  wakes  the  slumbering  world": 
and  who  shall  say  whether  in  the  course  of  the  XXth 
century,  the  recast  may  not  shelve  the  original? 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  443 

III 

THE  LITERARY  MOVEMENT  IN  ENGLAND 

We  have  now  to  trace  the  hindrances  and  progress  of 
the  Literary  Movement  thus  inaugurated. 

I.    In  the  Church  of  England 
I.     It  is  Overshadowed  by  the  Liturgical  Movement 

The  immediate  influence  of  Heber's  Hymns  did  not  so 
much  aifect  the  standard  as  the  status  of  the  Hymn.  It 
marked  the  turning  of  the  tide  of  hymn  singing  in  the 
Church  of  England.  Heber's  accompHshments  and  position 
and  death  had  made  his  a  great  name.  He  was  a  Tory  and 
a  churchman  of  opposite  tendencies  to  those  of  the  Evan- 
gehcals.  Moreover  his  hymns  were  beautiful  and  also  made 
the  fullest  recognition  of  the  holy  days  of  the  liturgical 
year.  All  this  went  far  to  recommend  hymn  singing  to  the 
circles  in  which  Heber  had  moved.  His  influence  was  very 
great  in  removing  from  that  ordinance  the  reproach  of 
dissent  and  even  the  flavor  of  Evangelicalism.^^ 

The  vogue  of  Heber's  Hymns  as  a  hymnal  was  very 
limited.  His  ambitious  scheme  of  furnishing  an  "author- 
ized hymnal"  had  failed,  and  was  not  to  be  revived.  Its 
inexpediency  was  admitted  by  Milman  himself  in  The  Quar- 
terly Review/^  and  in  1837  he  published  his  own  A  Selec- 
tion of  Psalms  and  Hymns  adapted  to  the  use  of  the  Church 
of  St.  Margaret,  Westminster,  of  which  he  was  rector. 
And  certainly  Heber's  collection  was  unfitted  for  any  such 
position  as  was  hoped  for:  the  lack  of  available  tunes  was 
decisive  in  itself. 

And  it  had  no  successor  of  its  own  type.  Heber's  in- 
fluence operated  as  leaven  gradually  permeating  the  Ijody 
of  Hymnody,  but  it  was  not  able  to  establish  his  ideal  of  a 

''C/.  a  paper,  "Hyuins  for  Public  Worship"  (by  Jno.  Mason  Neale) 
in  The  Chrisiian  Remembrancer  for  January,  1843,  p.  46. 
'Tor  July,  1828. 


444  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Romantic  Hymnal.  The  hymn  book  making  of  the  suc- 
ceeding years  took  another  turn  under  an  influence  stronger 
even  than  Heber's.  For  the  eventful  year  1827  had  seen 
the  publication  not  only  of  his  Hymns,  but  of  Keble's  The 
Christian  Year,  foreshadowing  the  rise  of  the  Oxford 
Movement  and  of  a  corresponding  Liturgical  school  of 
Hymnody.  The  two  books  stand  together  at  the  beginning 
of  a  new  period  in  English  Hymnody,  and  mark  the  two 
lines  of  its  development  in  the  XlXth  century  as  Literary 
and  Liturgical.  But  the  two  lines  are  not  parallels  that 
never  approach.  Heber,  in  accommodating  Hymnody  to 
the  Prayer  Book  and  in  suggesting  a  reversion  to  Latin 
Hymns/'^  was  something  of  an  influence  toward  a  Liturgical 
Hymnody,  and  Keble  was  certainly  an  influence  in  raising 
the  literary  standard  of  Hymnody. 

Nor  did  Heber's  ignoring  of  any  distinction  between  the 
Metrical  Psalm  and  the  Hymn  affect  the  addiction  to  psalm 
singing  in  the  Church ;  and  the  compromise  period  of  Psalms 
and  Hymns  went  on  for  many  years.  His  influence  told, 
however,  in  favor  of  a  more  "poetical''  Psalter.  Miss 
Harriet  Auber  in  her  The  Spirit  of  the  Psalms  (London: 
Cadell,  1829)  tried  to  put  "elegance"  and  "poetic  language" 
into  a  new  version  of  selected  Psalms,  accompanied  by 
originaP^  and  select  hymns  of  literary  quality.  John  Keble 
followed  somewhat  regretfully  in  his  The  Psalter  or  Psalms 
of  David;  in  English  verse;  by  a  member  of  the  University 
of  Oxford  (Oxford,  1839).  Henry  Francis  Lyte  of  Brix- 
ton, a  minor  poet  in  two  senses,  contributed  both  to  Literary 
Hymnody  and  to  an  improved  Psalmody  in  his  Poems 
chiefly  religious  (London,  1833),  and  The  Spirit  of  the 
Psalms  (1834).^''     But  the  progress  of  the  Oxford  Move- 


"His  Hymns  included  three  of  the  versions  of  Latin  hymns  some- 
times attributed  to  William  Drummond. 

'^Her  "Our  blest  Redeemer,  ere  He  breathed"  appeared  in  this 
volume. 

"His  "Abide  with  me ;  fast  falls  the  eventide"  appeared  in  his 
Remains    (London,   1850). 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  445 

ment  so  absorbed  men's  minds  and  so  turned  their  thoughts 
from  the  Psaker  to  the  Prayer  Book  as  to  quench  their 
desire  for  an  improved  Psalmody  in  the  new  stream  of  a 
Liturgical  Hymnody.^"  Henry  Latham's  elaborate  Antho- 
logia  Davidica  (London:  Rivington,  1846)  was  confess- 
edly an  attempt  to  revivify  a  lapsed  ideal. 

The  Literary  Hymn  became  also  a  matter  of  comparative 
unconcern  at  a  time  when  the  hymn  books  were  thus  made 
the  special  embodiment  of  the  sacramental  theology  and 
church  principles  of  the  Oxford  party,  and  of  differing  or 
opposing  views  in  the  other  parties  into  which  the  Church 
was  dividing.  To  the  extreme  high  church  party  the 
Literary  Hymn  as  exemplified  in  Heber's  collection  was  as 
much  an  offence  as  the  Evangelical  Hymn  itself.  To  one 
of  its  leaders,  John  Mason  Neale  in  1843,  it  seemed  "won- 
derful both  that  [Heber]  should  have  made  such  a  collec- 
tion, and  that  it  should  have  taken  such  hold,  even  for  a 
time,  on  the  public  mind."  ^^  He  found  the  metres  fantas- 
tical, the  poetic  merit  slight,  the  tone  more  fitted  to  the 
drawing-room  than  the  church. 

The  Literary  Hymn  found  its  opportunity  for  church 
use  in  an  occasional  parish  collection,  and  a  wider  oppor- 
tunity in  the  Public  School  hymn  books  which  make  some- 
thing like  a  separate  department  of  Church  of  England 
Hymnody.^^  They  began  with  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  the 
use  of  Rugby  School  Chapel  in  Arnold's  time,  followed  in 
1855  by  (Dean)  Vaughan's  Hymns  for  the  Chapel  of 
Harrow  School,  by  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  use  in  the 
Chapel  of  Marlborough  College  (1856),  for  Repton 
(1859),  Wellington  (i860),  Chfton  (1863),  Sherburne 
(1867),  Uppingham  (1874)  and  Rossall  (1880).  The 
books  vary  in  churchliness  from  the  simplicity  of  Rugby's 
to  the  Breviary-like  collection  of  Dr.  (Archbishop)  Benson 

'"C/.  preface  to  Anthologia  Davidica,  p.  2. 
"Christian  Remembrancer,  Jan.,  1843,  p.  46. 

"For  bibliography  and  descriptions  see  Julian,  Diet,  of  Hymnology, 
pp.  936  flf. 


446  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

for  Wellington;  and  in  the  case  of  the  older  schools  the 
early  books  are  only  the  first  of  a  series  changing  with  the 
times.  But  naturally  there  is  none  which  does  not  suggest 
literary  culture  and  does  not  contain  hymns  chosen  for 
their  literary  beauty;  the  Marlborough  series  being  quite 
conspicuous  in  these  respects. 

2.     A  Later  Literary  School  (1862-1899) 

It  was  a  fondness  for  hymns  as  "a  copious  and  interest- 
ing branch  of  popular  literature"  that  led  Roundell  Palmer, 
later  Lord  Selborne,  to  compile  his  famous  The  Book  of 
Praise  from  the  best  English  hymn  writers  (Macmillan, 
1862).  The  then  novel  work  upon  the  text  and  history  of 
the  hymns  done  for  this  book  by  Daniel  Sedgwick  gave  it 
an  interest  and  importance  to  which  the  editor's  selection 
of  materials  perhaps  hardly  entitled  it.  But  it  served  for 
a  generation  or  two  as  the  popular  presentation  of  English 
Hymns  as  "mere  literature,"  and  afforded  Matthew  Arnold 
a  handy  butt  for  his  gift  of  teasing.  From  this  book  John 
Hullah  arranged  A  Hymnal,  chiefly  from  "The  Book  of 
Praise"  (Macmillan,  1868)  and  by  him  set  to  music.  This 
must  no  doubt  be  regarded  as  a  literary  Hymn  Book,  the 
first  since  Heber's,  and  like  it  in  ineffectiveness  for  church 
use.  The  voluminous  Hymnologia  Christiana  (London, 
1863)  was  also  especially  hospitable  to  the  Literary  Hymn, 
and  if  still  ineffective  served  many  compilers  as  a  convenient 
source  book.  Some  200  contributions  of  the  editor,  Ben- 
jamin Hall  Kennedy,  entitle  him  to  a  minor  place  among 
hymn  writers. 

A  better  writer,  Godfrey  Thring,  a  rector  in  Somerset, 
began  to  publish  hymns  in  1866,  and  in  looking  over  the 
field  reached  the  conclusion  that  "nearly  all  the  hymnals 
which  have  obtained  any  large  circulation  have  chiefly  owed 
that  circulation  to  the  fact  of  their  having  been  put  forward 
by  avowed  representatives,  or  those  who  were  supposed  to 
be  representatives,  of  different  parties  in  the  Church."  -^ 

''Preface  of  1880. 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  447 

As  a  protest  "against  this  system  of  party  hymn-books" 
which  inevitably  deprived  congregations  of  the  use  of  some 
of  the  best  hymns,  he  conceived  and  pubHshed  A  Church 
of  England  Hymn  Book  adapted  to  the  daily  services  of 
the  Church  througliout  the  year  (London:  Skeffington, 
1880). 

This  was  not  a  Hterary  hymn  book  as  opposed  to  a 
Hturgical  one,  but  rather  a  Hturgical  hymn  book  with  full 
provision  for  every  occasion  and  kind  of  worship  and  with 
a  literary  standard  higher  than  any  hymn  book  of  its  time. 
It  was  a  revelation  of  what  skill  and  judgment  and  good 
taste  could  do  for  the  improvement  of  Hymnody  when  not 
perverted  by  the  spirit  of  party.^^  And  yet  the  doctrinal 
attitude  of  Thring's  book  could  not  have  been  unacceptable 
to  those  using  Hymns  ancient  and  modern  with  a  literary 
standard  so  much  lower,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  the 
vogue  of  the  latter  prevented  Thring's  collection  from  be- 
coming the  Church  of  England  Hymn  Book  in  reality. 

As  a  hymn  writer  Thring  belongs  to  the  Literary  school 
as  contrasted  with  the  subjective  and  didactic  method  of 
the  Evangelicals,  the  close  adherence  to  Scripture  in  so 
many  earlier  writers  and  in  Bishop  Wordsworth  among 
his  contemporaries,  and  the  tendency  toward  liturgical 
verse  in  the  Liturgical  school.  "From  the  Eastern  moun- 
tains" represents  his  lyrical  facility;  "Saviour,  blessed 
Saviour"  his  hopeful  spirit;  "Jesus  came,  the  heavens  ador- 
ing" his  strength;  and  "The  radiant  morn  hath  passed 
away"  his  tenderness. 

Most  of  the  contemporary  hymn  writers  in  the  Church 
of  England  belong  on  the  liturgical  side,  through  their 
connection  with  the  Oxford  Movement.  On  the  literary 
side  Dean  Stanley  was  the  most  conspicuous.  His  hymns 
originally  appeared  in  Macmillan's  Magazine.  All  of  them 
(13)  were  gathered  in  The  Westminster  Abbey  Hymn  Book 
(London,  1883)  which  was  a  tribute  to  his  memory.     But 

'^For  a  glimpse  of  the  book  in  its  making  see  H.  Housman,  John 
Ellerton,  S.  P.  C.  K.,  1896,  pp.  92-97. 


448  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

in  truth  they  added  Httle  to  his  literary  reputation  or  to 
the  store  of  available  hymns. 

Of  the  hymnals  that  followed  it  the  1889  edition  of 
Hymns  ancient  and  modern  aimed  once  more  at  a  liturgical 
rather  than  a  literary  standard,  while  the  1890  edition  of 
Bishop  Bickersteth's  The  Hymnal  Companion  might  almost 
he  called  a  "literary  hymnal."  These  will  be  noticed  in 
another  connection.  It  remains  to  notice  an  unique  episode 
with  which  the  literary  history  of  Church  of  England 
Hymnody  in  the  XlXth  century  closes. 

Dr.  Robert  Bridges,  a  poet  of  repute  and  later  the 
Laureate,  interested  himself  in  Congregational  Song  and 
took  charge  of  that  of  the  village  of  Yattendon.  For  its 
use  he  prepared  and  published  sumptuously  The  Yattendon 
Hymnal  (Clarendon  Press,  1899),  containing  100  hymns 
set  to  music  of  a  very  high  order  for  4-part  unaccompanied 
singing,  of  which  44  were  of  his  own  workmanship  as 
author  or  translator.  Its  way  was  prepared  in  a  paper  on 
"Some  principles  of  Hymn-singing,"  ^^  and  the  hymns 
were  published  separately  as  Hymns  from  the  Yattendon 
Hymnal,  by  Robert  Bridges,  with  notice  of  the  tunes  for 
which  they  were  ivrittcn  (Oxford:  Daniel  Press,  1899). 
The  special  purpose  of  this  interesting  experiment  was  to 
revive  certain  church  melodies,  notably  those  of  The 
Genevan  Psalter,  and  to  provide  hymns  worthy  of  them. 
The  results  cannot  as  yet  be  judged.  Thirteen  of  Bridges' 
hymns  and  versions  were  included  in  The  English  Hymnal; 
two  of  which  at  least,  "The  King,  O  God,  his  heart  to  Thee 
upraiseth"  and  "The  duteous  day  now  closeth,"  have  at- 
tracted attention  to  their  signal  beauty.  One  of  its  editors, 
the  Rev.  Percy  Dearmer,^®  regards  Bridges'  hymns  as  "the 
advance-guard  of  a  movement  which  will  lead  the  English- 
man of  the  future  to  read  hymn  books  for  the  poetry  that  is 
in  them."     But  the  decision  in  such  a  matter  lies  with  the 

'"In  The  Journal  of  Theological  Studies,  October,  1899,  and  sepa- 
rately, Oxford,  1901. 

'"In  the  London  Daily  Mail. 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  449 

people,  who  have  not  hitherto  responded  heartily  to  the 
elevated  appeal  of  Bridges'  verse. 

II.     James  Martineau  Provides  Unitarians  with  a 
"Poetry  of  Pure  Devotion"    (1840) 

A  movement  to  improve  the  literary  materials  of  worship 
was  congenial  to  the  Unitarian  mind,  and  the  appropriation 
of  the  new  hymns  began  in  John  Hamilton  Thorn's  A 
Selection  of  Hymns  for  Christian  worship  (Liverpool, 
1836),  supplementing  an  earlier  one  made  by  Roscoe  for 
the  Renshaw  Street  congregation.  In  this  he  made  large 
use  not  only  of  Montgomery,  Heber  and  Milman,  but  also 
of  Keble's  Christian  Year.  But  the  new  Hymnody  reached 
the  body  of  the  people  very  largely  through  the  filter  of 
one  brilliant  and  devout  mind,  that  of  James  Martineau. 
With  his  profound  interest  in  Hymnody  and  his  ever  grow- 
ing influence  it  may  be  said  that  from  1840  to  the  end  of 
the  century  Unitarian  Praise  was  in  the  main  moulded  by 
his  hand. 

He  first  felt  his  way,  while  a  pastor  in  Dublin,  with  A 
Collection  of  Hymns  for  Christian  zvorship  (1831)  com- 
piled for  his  own  people  from  inadequate  materials.  But 
in  Hymns  for  the  Christian  Church  and  Home.  Collected 
and  edited  by  James  Martineau.  Printed  for  the  editor; 
and  sold  by  John  Green,  121,  Newgate  Street,  London, 
1840,  he  deliberately  aimed  at  a  Poetic  hymnal.  A  remark- 
able preface  discloses  his  point  of  view : — 

"Worship  is  an  attitude  our  nature  assumes,  not  for  a  purpose 
[i.  e.  of  being  efficacious  with  God  or  beneficial  to  man],  but  from  an 
emotion.  From  this  natural  view  of  worship  springs  sacred  poetry. 
Every  spontaneous  utterance  of  a  deep  devotion  is  poetry  in  its  essence, 
and  has  only  to  fall  into  lyrical  form  to  be  a  Hymn.  No  expression 
of  thought  or  feeling  that  has  an  ulterior  purpose  (i.  e.  instruction, 
exposition,  impression)  can  have  the  spirit  of  poetry;  but  always  misses 
the  true  lyrical  character  and  furnishes  only  rhymed  theology,  versified 
precepts  or  biblical  descriptions,  capable  of  being  sung  but  merely 
hiding  their  didactic  spirit  under  the  borrowed  style  of  poetry." 

Watts  would  have  felt  concerned  to  know  that  the  appli- 


450  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

cation  of  this  poetic  touchstone  left  him  at  the  head  of 
Enghsh  Hymnody,  with  Doddridge  and  Montgomery  closely 
following.  Of  the  Romantic  poets  Martineau  passed  over 
Byron  and  Moore  and  included  Wordsworth  (2),  Cole- 
ridge (i),  Scott  (2),  Campbell  (i),  Montgomery  (56), 
Hemans  (11),  Heber  (29),  Milman  (10),  Keble  (6),  H.  K. 
White  (6)  and  Bowring  (5).  The  inherent  interest  of 
such  an  anthology  by  Martineau  was  greatly  impaired  by 
his  conviction  that  the  "dogmatic  theology"  of  Christian 
poetry  was  an  accident  and  not  an  essential  of  its  excellence 
and  by  his  alterations  of  text  "to  give  theologically  a  trans- 
lation but  in  respect  to  piety  and  poetry  the  precise  originals 
of  the  several  authors." 

For  three  years  the  book  sold  so  slowly  as  to  entail  a 
loss,^^  but  gradually  it  superseded  all  earlier  collections. 
The  hymn  books  of  subsequent  years  were  for  local  use. 
J.  H.  Thorn  would  not  allow  his  Hymns,  Chants  and 
Anthems  (Liverpool,  1858)  to  be  advertised,  lest  it  seem 
to  compete  with  Dr.  Martineau's.^^  The  most  interesting 
of  the  local  books  was  William  J.  Fox's  Hymns  and 
Anthems  (London,  1841)  to  which  Sarah  F.  Adams  con- 
tributed "Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee"  and  other  hymns, 
and  which  enrolled  Chaucer,  Shakespeare,  Shelley  and 
Browning  among  its  contributors.^^ 

After  the  third  of  a  century  had  passed  Dr.  Martineau 
perceived  a  great  change  in  the  spirit  and  complexion  of 
broad  church  piety.  It  was  "disposed  to  loosen  itself  even 
from  sacred  history"  and  to  walk  with  God  "in  a  present 
that  is  divine."  He  thought  that  the  critical  studies  had 
killed  the  appeal  of  older  hymns  dealing  with  Scripture 
incident,  and  that  the  new  generation  demanded  "the  poetry 
of  the  inner  life,"  identifying  "Christianity  with  the  reh- 


"J.  Drummond,  Life  and  Letters  of  James  Martineau,  New  York, 
1902,  vol.  i,  p.  112. 

^^His  letter  in  The  Spectator  for  Jan.  23,  1902. 

"*For  this  curious  book  see  R.  Garnett,  The  Life  of  W.  J.  Fox, 
London,  1910,  pp.  218  fF. 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  451 

gion  of  Christ  in  its  pure  and  personal  essence."  ^^  To 
meet  the  change  he  pubHshed  Hymns  of  Praise  and  Prayer. 
Collected  and  edited  by  James  Martineau,  LL.D.  (Long- 
mans, 1874).  It  had  417  hymns  from  the  earher  collection 
and  380  added.  Not  Watts  but  Montgomery  stands  first 
with  67  hymns,  Charles  Wesley  following  with  58,  Watts 
with  49.  The  new  Anglican  and  American  Unitarian 
sources  are  alike  drawn  upon,  and  the  old  freedom  of 
alteration  abides  "for  grave  reasons  of  religious  veracity." 
Martineau  had  once  more  interpreted  correctly  the  spirit 
of  Unitarian  piety  and  acceptably  provided  for  Unitarian 
devotion  in  a  new  generation.  A  musical  edition  of  the 
new  book  appeared  in  1876,  and  it  continued  in  very  general 
use  until  the  XXth  century.  This  hymnal  of  "the  inner 
life"  largely  disassociated  from  Scripture  records  presents 
a  striking  and  intended  contrast  to  the  contemporaneous 
Anglican  hymn  books  devoted  more  and  more  to  the  cele- 
bration of  the  historic  events  of  the  gospel,  the  persons  of 
the  saints  and  the  ordinances  of  the  church. 

III.    The  Baptists  Cling  to  a  Homiletical  Hymnody 
(1827-1879) 

It  is  a  forgotten  fact  that  in  the  very  year  of  publication 
of  Heber's  Hymns  John  Curtis,  a  Baptist  layman  of  Bristol, 
brought  out  The  Union  Collection  of  Hymns  and  sacred 
Odes,  additional  to  the  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  Dr.  Watts 
(London,  1827),  aiming  especially  to  refute  Dr.  Johnson's 
dictum  that  "contemplative  piety  could  not  be  poetical." 
Curtis  made  use  of  Coleridge,  Scott,  Byron  and  Moore, 
among  the  Romantic  poets,  and  Heber,  Milman,  Mont- 
gomery, Bowring,  and  many  more  of  the  new  Literary 
school  of  hymn  writers.  But  the  book  was  large  and  ven- 
turous, the  selection  perhaps  not  very  judicious,  and  not 
calculated  to  further  those  homiletical  uses  of  Hymnody 
which  still  dominated  Baptist  ideals  and  practice. 

"Preface  of  Dec.  i,  1873. 


452  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

The  Particular  Baptist  A  new  Selection  of  Hymns 
(London,  1828),  which  in  the  revision  of  1838  became 
A  Selection  of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  Baptist  congregations, 
and  circulated  to  the  extent  of  a  million  copies,  was  a  Sup- 
plement to  Watts  of  the  older  evangelical  type.  The  same 
is  true  of  The  General  Baptist  Hymn  Book  (1830),  but  in 
their  The  nczv  Hymn  Book  (1851),  more  use  was  made  of 
the  later  hymns. 

The  modern  period  of  Baptist  Hymnody  begins  w^ith  the 
Particular  Baptist  Psalms  and  Hymns  .  .  .  prepared  for 
the  use  of  the  Baptist  Denomination  (London,  1858),  and 
its  supplements,  and  The  (General)  Baptist  Hymnal  of 
1879.  The  compilers  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  had  the  assist- 
ance of  George  Rawson,  a  Congregationalist  layman  of  fine 
poetical  feeling,  and  to  it  he  contributed  many  of  his  own 
hymns. ^^  Both  books  aimed  to  elevate  the  literary  standard, 
and  made  large  use  of  the  new  hymn  writers,  both  of  the 
Literary  and  Liturgical  schools.  Mr.  Spurgeon's  Our  ozvn 
Hymn  Book  (1866),  made  for  his  Tabernacle  but  used  also 
in  congregations  presided  over  by  his  former  students, 
deserves  mention  for  the  breadth  of  his  studies  and  his 
care  for  the  texts  of  the  hymns.  Its  didactic  motive  con- 
trasts strongly  with  Dr.  Martineau's  concern  for  spontaneity 
in  worship. 

The  trustees  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  and  those  of  The 
Baptist  Hymnal  took  part  in  preparing  The  Baptist  Church 
Hymnal:  Hymns,  Chants,  Anthems,  with  music  (London: 
Psalms  and  Hymns  Trust,  1900).  In  this  very  modern 
production  the  hymns,  embedded  in  a  wealth  of  tunes  and 
followed  by  chants  and  anthems  occupying  one  half  of  the 
volume,  seem  relatively  inconspicuous;  and  the  impression 
produced  upon  the  eye  is  so  liturgical  that  one  feels  a  certain 
surprise  that  the  choice  and  arrangement  of  the  hymns  was 
not  made  for  liturgical  ends.  But  the  selection  is  a  catholic 
one,  and,  while  freely  employing  the  Anglican  Hymnody, 
seeking  the  best  from  all  sources. 

^'Notably  "By  Christ  redeemed,  in  Christ  restored." 


THE  ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  453 

IV.  The  Enrichment  of  Congregationalist  Hymnody 

I.     The  Ministers  of  Leeds  Break  the  Watts 
Tradition   (1853) 

The  movement  to  elevate  the  hterary  standard  of  Con- 
gregationahst  Hymnody  began  with  Josiah  Conder's  The 
Congregationalist  Hymn  Book  of  1836.^^  His  book  was 
designed  to  supplement  Watts,  and  as  an  editor  and  hymn 
writer  he  may  be  said  to  have  occupied  common  ground 
with  his  friend  Montgomery.  His  56  hymns  contributed 
to  this  collection,  with  others  appearing  elsewhere,  show  an 
understanding  of  the  Hymn  derived  from  his  study  of 
Watts,  a  devout  spirit,  metrical  variety  and  good  literary 
expression;  and  a  considerable  use  is  still  made  of  a  few 
of  them.^^ 

Conder  made  some  use  of  Heber's  hymns,  but  he  felt  more 
at  home  with  Montgomery's.  The  quality  of  elegance  and 
the  alleged  defect  of  that  quality  in  Heber's  hymns  caused 
many  then  and  since  to  look  askance  at  them.  To  dis- 
senters trained  in  the  school  of  Watts,  and  to  the  Evan- 
gelical with  sober  standards  of  edification,  they  seemed  to 
violate  the  canons  of  spiritual  simplicity.  This  feeling  is 
expressed  by  Josiah  Miller  in  his  Singers  and  Songs  of  the 
Church : — their  "rhetorical  flow  and  an  elevation  of  manner 
and  imagery  .  .  .  threaten  to  take  them  out  of  the  class 
of  hymns,  and  rob  them  of  the  pious  moderation  we  ordi- 
narily expect  to  meet  with  in  such  productions."  ^^ 

Of  the  books  immediately  following  Conder's,  Dr.  John 
Campbell's  The  Comprehensive  Hymn  Book  (London, 
1841)  and  Andrew  Reed's  The  Hymn  Book  (London, 
1842),  reverted  to  the  old  Hues.  Some  of  Reed's  plain 
hymns   are   still   remembered.      John   Lei f child's    Original 

^'Chap.  iii,  pt.  Ill,  section  I,  i. 

''  "The  Lord  is  King !  Lift  up  thy  voice,"  and  "How  shall  I  follow 
Him  I  serve"  are  of  his  best:  "Bread  of  Heaven,  on  Thee  I  feed"  is 
perhaps  most  familiar. 

^*2nd  edition,  London,  1869,  p.  379. 


454  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Hymns  (London,  1842)  attempted  to  elevate  devotional 
poetry  w^ith  a  fresh  collection  of  hymns  contributed  to  it 
or  hitherto  unused.  But  the  opening  line,  "O  Thou, 
uncaused,  unseen,  immense,"  was  already  somewhat  dis- 
couraging. 

Eleven  years  later  appeared  Psalms,  Hymns,  and  passages 
of  Scripture  for  Christian  zvorskip.  London,  Partridge 
and  Oakey,  i8^j.  Prepared  by  the  Congregational  minis- 
ters of  Leeds,  and  known  as  "The  Leeds  Hymn  Book," 
it  drew  freely  from  the  old  treasury  of  Latin  Hymnody, 
the  German  hymns  and  the  new  Church  of  England  writers 
both  of  the  literary  and  liturgical  types.  It  marks  the  real 
transition  of  Congregationalist  Hymnody  from  the  type  and 
tone  given  it  by  Watts  into  the  more  catholic-hearted  and 
yet  more  selective  spirit  of  modern  Hymnody.  So  great 
was  its  influence  that  it  became  in  1859  the  basis  of  The 
nezv  Congregational  Hymn  Book,  officially  published  by 
the  Congregational  Union;  and  it  may  thus  be  said  to  have 
determined  the  line  of  development  of  the  authorized  Hym- 
nody of  its  denomination. 

2.     The  Rivulet  Controversy   (1856) 

Among  recent  writers  omitted  from  the  Congregational 
Union's  new  hymn  book  was  one  whose  hymns  had  lately 
given  that  body  much  disquietude.  Partly  with  a  view  to 
occasional  use  by  his  congregation  in  Grafton  Street,^^  Lon- 
don, Thomas  Toke  Lynch  published  in  November,  1855, 
The  Rivulet:  a  contribution  to  sacred  song  (London:  R. 
Theobald ).^^  It  was  welcomed  by  The  Eclectic  Review, 
but  in  The  Morning  Advertiser  for  January  7,  1856,  James 
Grant  averred  that  "nearly  the  whole  might  have  been 
written  by  a  Deist"  and  that  it  contained  "not  one  particle 
of  vital  religion  or  evangelical  piety"  although  written  by  a 

'■'T.  T.  Lynch,  "Review  of  the  Rivulet  Controversy"  in  The  Monthly 
Christian  Spectator,  Nov.,  1856,  p.  701. 

'"and  ed.,  1856;  3rd,  enlarged,  1868;  5th  ed.,  1883. 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  455 

professed  minister  of  the  gospel.^^  In  a  later  issue  The 
Eclectic  Review  was  called  upon  to  retract  its  "incriminated 
notice  of  the  book."  Instead  of  which  that  periodical 
printed  in  its  March  number  a  protest  by  fifteen  Congre- 
gational ministers^^  expressing  their  "utter  hatred"  of  the 
method  and  manner  of  the  attack  upon  Lynch  and  his  book. 
With  this  fuel  added  to  the  fire  the  flame  became  a  confla- 
gration. Dr.  John  Campbell,  editor  of  the  Congregational 
Union's  magazines,  diligently  fanned  the  flames,  charging 
Lynch  with  contradicting  the  word  of  God,  defaming  the 
character  of  His  Son,  and  giving  the  lie  to  the  teachings 
of  His  Spirit.^*^  Lynch  responded  in  The  Ethics  of  Quota- 
tion and  Songs  controversial:  by  Silent  Long,  and  several 
of  the  fifteen  protesters  took  a  hand  in  the  pamphlet  war. 
The  controversy  thus  grew  into  the  bitterest  theological 
strife  within  the  memory  of  men  then  living.  And  it  re- 
mained open  until  time  settled  it  in  Lynch's  favor,  leaving, 
in  the  meanwhile,  him  and  his  hymns  under  a  cloud  of 
suspicion  in  the  eyes  of  thousands  who  had  read  the  charges 
but  not  the  hymns. 

Lynch's  hymns  were  novel  then  and  inimitable  now  in 
their  curious  combination  of  subtlety  and  simplicity,  their 
fresh  feeling,  their  original  expression,  and  their  deep  ex- 
perience. They  founded  no  school,  but  stand  alone,  at  the 
dividing  line  between  Hymnody  and  devotional  verse. 
Thomas  Binney,  their  original  defender,  took  pains  to  say 
that  they  were  not  adapted  to  congregational  use."*^  Of 
many  of  the  finest  of  them  the  saying  remains  true.  But 
some  gradually  found  their  way  into  hymn  books,  and  the 
number  in  actual  use  to-day  is  larger  than  ever  before,  and 

^'The  Advertiser  articles  were  reprinted  as  The  Controversy  on 
important  theological  questions,  London,  1856. 

^'Reprinted  in  "What's  it  all  about?"  or  both  sides  of  the  "Rivulet" 
Controversy,  London,  1856,  p.  5. 

^^Nonconformist  Theology,  by  John  Campbell,  D.D.,  London,  1856 
(reprinted  from  The  British  Banner). 

*"Letter  To  the  Members  of  the  Congregational  Union,  London 
[May,  1856],  p.  18. 


456  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

the   favor  with  which  they  are  regarded  more  general.^^ 
"The  Rivulet  Controversy"  is  thus  at  last  decided. 

3.     The  Advance  toward   Heber's   Ideal:   Loss   and 
Gain    (1859- 1887) 

The  Congregational  Union's  first  hymnal  was  published 
in  1859,  to  be  followed  by  a  successor  in  1887.  Between 
these  two  dates  the  independent  work  of  three  men  deserves 
notice. 

Dr.  Henry  Allon  had  a  share  in  the  first  book,  and  pub- 
lished Supplemental  Hymns  in  1868  (enlarged,  1875), 
Children's  Worship  in  1878,  and  the  elaborate  The  Con- 
gregational Psalmist  Hymnal  in  1886.  The  Congregational 
Psalmist  itself,  first  appearing  in  1858,  was  a  tune  book  of 
a  high  order  with  scholarly  annotations,  and  with  his  valu- 
able Exeter  Hall  lectures  and  his  collections  of  chants, 
anthems  and  children's  music,  indicates  the  special  line  in 
which  he  did  much  to  elevate  Congregational  Song.  The 
service  of  praise  at  his  Union  Chapel,  Islington,  became  a 
model  and  an  incentive  even  beyond  the  bounds  of  Non- 
conformity.'^^ 

The  incursion  of  "Dale  of  Birmingham"  into  hymn  book 
making  was  a  protest  against  "the  sensuous  sentimentalism 
which  had  been  encouraged  by  some  recent  Hymn- writers."^-' 
He  called  his  collection  of  1260  hymns  The  English  Hymn 
Book  (London,  1874)  as  seeking  the  "manly  simplicity"  of 
the  national  type  of  faith  and  feeling  and  avoiding  whatever 
in  ancient  or  German  or  English  Hymnody  seemed  "foreign 
and  unfriendly"   to  healthy  English  tradition  and  habits. 

^'The  most  familiar,  "Gracious  Spirit,  dwell  with  me,"  is  perhaps 
least  characteristic.  Others  are  "O  where  is  He  that  trod  the  sea," 
"Dismiss  me  not  Thy  service,  Lord,"  and  "Christ  in  His  word  draws 
near."  The  statement  of  Lynch's  biographer  in  The  Dictionary  of 
National  Biography  that  none  of  his  hymns  is  popular  in  the  churches 
is  contrary  to  observed  facts. 

^"See  "Union  Chapel,  Islington,"  in  J.  S.  Curwen,  Studies  in  Worship 
Music,  3rd  ed.,  London,  n.  d.,  pp.  365-375. 

"Preface. 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  457 

The  motive  explains  unwelcome  omissions  and  needless 
changes,  and  Dr.  Dale's  preoccupations  explain  the  careless 
texts  and  the  lack  of  finish  and  of  grace.  Its  inclusion  of 
39  hymns  from  The  Golden  Chain  of  Praise  (1869)  by 
Thomas  Hornblower  Gill,  whom  Dale  regarded  as  the  best 
of  living  hymn  writers,^ ^  called  attention  to  hymns  largely 
unknown.  They  have  distinction  and  originality ;  a  thought- 
fulness  demanding  close  reading,  and  a  quaintness  tending 
toward  mannerism.^^  Their  unfettered  spirit  and  lack  of 
churchliness  limits  their  use  in  one  direction,  their  delicacy 
and  avoidance  of  commonplace  in  another. 

Unlike  Dale's,  the  work  of  W.  Garrett  Horder  has  been 
that  of  a  life-long  student  of  Hymnology  and  one  who  wel- 
comes the  emotional  side  of  Hymnody.  In  Horder's 
editorial  work  the  Literary  Movement  comes  to  its  fullest 
expression  since  Heber.  "Pious  moderation,"  he  wrote  in 
1889,  "has  been  the  curse  of  hymnody."  ^^  "The  time  is 
fast  coming,"  he  said  in  May,  1902,  "when  no  hymn  will 
be  included  in  our  best  collections  which  is  not  in  greater 
or  less  degree  the  result  of  the  vision  and  faculty  divine." 
"To  hasten  that  has  been  one  of  the  dreams  and  purposes 
of  my  life."  ^^  His  work  began  with  The  Book  of  Praise 
for  Children  (London:  Lewis,  1875),  patterned  outwardly 
upon  Roundell  Palmer's  Book  of  Praise.  It  was  followed 
by  Congregational  Hymns  (London:  Elliot  Stock,  1884); 
to  which  there  was  in  1894  a  supplement  of  Hymns.  Supple- 
mental to  existing  collections;  and  in  1905  appeared  a 
revised  edition  as  Worship  Song  with  accompanying  tunes 
(London:  Novello).  The  Hymn  Lover.  An  account  of 
the  rise  and  growth  of  English  Hymnody  (London:  Cur- 
wen,  1889)  may  be  regarded  as  a  historical  companion  to 

"A.  W.  W.  Dale,  Life  of  R.  IV.  Dale,  London,  1898,  p.  223. 

"  "Dear  Lord  and  Master  mine"  early  became  a  favorite.  "O  mean 
may  seem  this  house  of  clay,"  and  "Our  God,  our  God,  Thou  shinest 
here,"  are  also  in  wide  use. 

*^The  Hymn  Lover,  p.  145. 

*'The  Carew  Lecture  at  Hartford  in  Hartford  Seminary  Record, 
August,  1902,  p.  292. 


458  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

the  hymn  book.  The  Treasury  of  American  sacred  Song 
(Oxford  Press,  1896)  does  for  American  verse  what  Pal- 
grave  had  done  for  the  EngHsh. 

When  Congregational  Hymns  appeared,  Frederic  M.  Bird 
said  in  The  Independent  that  "Dissent  never  had  such  a 
hymnal  as  this  before";  and  we  may  include  both  estab- 
lishments in  the  remark.  So  much  of  its  materials  was  very 
recent  that  it  could  not  have  been  compiled  much  earlier 
than  it  was.  And  its  editor  was  equally  modern  in  his 
indifference  to  tradition  while  yet  unaffected  by  the  liturgical 
tendencies  of  his  time;  and  thus  free  to  embody  his  ideals 
with  no  limitations  other  than  those  suggested  by  pastoral 
experience.  From  his  point  of  view  his  hymn  book  may 
fairly  be  regarded  as  the  fullest  and  best  yet  made. 

Regarding  this  collection  as  substantially  the  embodiment 
of  the  aims  of  the  Literary  Movement  up  to  the  limits  of 
the  present  resources  of  Hymnody,  we  are  in  a  position  to 
consider  that  movement  in  its  tendencies  and  results. 

It  became  inevitable  when  once  the  Churches  accepted 
such  hymns  as  Heber's  "Holy!  Holy!  Holy!"  or  even  his 
"Brightest  and  best  of  the  sons  of  the  morning."  Such 
acceptance  at  once  sets  up  a  standard  of  inevitable  com- 
parison; and  with  the  dissemination  of  culture  this  literary 
standard  operated  by  way  of  the  exclusion  of  materials  no 
longer  regarded  as  up  to  the  mark.  It  happens  that  the 
greater  part  of  the  material  thus  winnowed  by  criticism  is 
the  hymns  contributed  by  the  Evangelical  school;  and  thus 
the  literary  standard  combines  with  a  changing  doctrinal 
emphasis  to  make  the  share  of  the  old  Evangelical  Hymnody 
a  diminishing  proportion.  In  the  case  of  the  Congregational 
Churches,  for  instance,  Mr.  Horder's  book  completes  a  trans- 
formation of  their  Hymnody.  It  had  consisted  at  first  of 
Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  alone,  and  then  as  supplemented 
by  hymns  of  kindred  writers  and  those  of  the  Evangelical 
Revival.  In  Congregational  Hymns  the  contributions  of 
Watts  are  26  in  a  total  of  841,  and  the  other  writers  of 
the  old  school  are  treated  proportionably. 


THE  ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  459 

Here  then  is  the  price  to  be  paid  for  a  Literary  Hymnody : 
one  that  will  be  variously  appraised.  Turning  to  the  gains, 
we  perceive  much  that  has  both  strength  and  beauty,  and 
deserves  a  universal  welcome.  But  in  much  else  we  hear 
the  brooding  note  of  culture  and  encounter  a  spiritual 
"delicacy"  that  raises  the  question  whether  these  refined 
meditations  have  the  virility  of  the  old  hymns  to  quicken 
and  maintain  a  robust  and  effective  faith.  This  question 
yet  remains  to  be  answered  in  a  generation  that  has  been 
nourished  and  inspired  by  a  Poetic  Hymnody. 

Horder's  book  found  a  warm  welcome  and  attained  wide 
use,  but  did  not  become  the  authorized  hymnal  of  the 
denomination.  The  Congregational  Union  had  already,  in 
1883,  determined  to  make  "such  further  provision  for  the 
service  of  praise  as  the  new  life  and  methods  of  the  day 
required,"  and  committed  to  the  competent  hands  of  George 
S.  Barrett  the  preparation  of  a  new  hymnal  on  the  lines 
of  the  "Leeds  Hymn  Book"  of  1853  and  The  new  Congre- 
gational Hymn  Book  of  1859,  to  which  there  had  been  a 
Supplement  as  late  as  1874.  The  Congregational  Church 
Hymnal  (London:  Congregational  Union,  1887)  aimed  to 
distinguish  sharply  hymns  from  sacred  poems,  to  preserve 
as  much  as  was  practicable  of  the  hymns  associated  with  the 
history  and  life  of  Congregationalism,  to  draw  freely  from 
the  Hymnody  of  all  sections  of  the  Church,  to  conserve 
the  original  texts  of  the  hymns,  and  to  set  them  to  the  best 
available  tunes  under  the  editing  of  Dr.  E.  J.  Hopkins. 
Less  traditional  than  Dr.  Allon's  hymnal,  more  theologically 
explicit  and  less  poetic  than  Mr.  Horder's,  it  filled  out  the 
prospectus  with  skill  and  care,  and  put  the  authorized  Hym- 
nody of  Congregationalism  fully  abreast  with  that  of  other 
Churches  both  from  a  literary  and  musical  standpoint. 

The  Hymnody  of  Scottish  Congregationalism  is  unim- 
portant. Dr.  W.  Lindsay  Alexander's  Selection  of  1849 
continued  to  be  reprinted  till  quite  recent  years.  The  Evan- 
gelical Union,  formed  by  the  Morisons,  published  their 
Hymn  Book  in  1856,  and  a  better  one  in   1878  as  The 


46o  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Evangelical  Union  Hymnal.  John  Hunter's  "liberal" 
Hymns  of  Faith  and  Life  (Glasgow,  1889)  will  be  noticed 
in  another  connection.  The  Scottish  Congregational  Hym- 
nal (Edinburgh:  Congregational  Union,  1903)  is  a  com- 
posite book,  partly  reprinted  from  The  Evangelical  Union 
Hymnal,  and  filled  out  from  current  English  Congregational 
hymn  books. 

IV 
THE  LITERARY   MOVEMENT   IN   AMERICA 

I.    "Songs  of  the  Liberal  Faith" 
I.     A  Notable  Series  of  Hymn  Books  (1830-1864) 

In  America  as  in  England  the  Unitarians  felt  most  free 
to  appropriate  anything  that  seemed  good,  from  whatever 
source  and  however  novel.  It  is  hence  not  surprising  that 
a  body  including  the  best  blood  and  highest  culture  of 
Massachussets  shared  in  the  Literary  Movement,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  imparting  to  its  hymn  books  a  freshness  of  interest 
in  great  contrast  to  those  of  orthodox  Churches. 

Of  the  hymn  books  of  the  '30s  the  first  was  Samuel 
Willard's  Sacred  Poetry  and  Music  reconciled;  or  a  Collec- 
tion of  Hymns,  original  and  compiled  (Boston:  L.  C. 
Bowles,  1830),  in  which  everything  was*  subordinated  to 
the  theory  that  religious  impression  required  "an  invariable 
coincidence  between  the  poetic  and  the  musical  emphasis."  '^^ 
To  most  people  it  seemed  that  the  game  of  trimming  the 
hymns  to  fit  the  theory  was  not  worth  the  candle,  and  the 
adoption  of  Willard's  book  was  trifling. 

Whether  we  regard  the  predilection  for  Watts  as  linger- 
ing in  the  free  air  of  Unitarianism  with  something  of  the 
'force  of  tradition,  or  whether  we  think  with  Willard  that 
the  love  of  the  old  hymns  was  deliberately  revived,**^  the 

*^For  his  theory  see  the  review  of  his  earlier  Regular  Hymns  (1823) 
in  The  Christian  Examiner,  May,  1824,  p.  224. 
*T/i(?  Christian  Examiner,  July,   1845,  p.   114. 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  461 

fact  remains  that  both  the  other  hymn  books  of  the  '30s 
were  confessedly  based  upon  "the  writings  of  Watts  and 
Doddridge."  The  popular  book  of  the  period  was  A  Col- 
lection of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  Christian  worship  (Bos- 
ton:  Carter  and  Hendee,  1830)  by  F.  W.  P.  Greenwood  of 
King's  Chapel,  which  in  five  years  reached  a  sixteenth 
edition,  and  (with  R.  C.  Waterston's  supplement  of  1845)^'" 
rounded  out  a  fiftieth.  Greenwood  made  much  use  of  Mont- 
gomery's Christian  Psalmist  and  Miss  Auber's  Spirit  of 
the  Psalms,  and  some  of  Bowring  and  Heber,  and  he  may 
be  said  to  have  introduced  Charles  Wesley  to  the  Unitarians. 
His  book  had  thus  freshness  as  well  as  familiarity,  and  its 
conveniently  arranged  560  hymns  were  a  pleasing  contrast 
to  the  cumbersome  "Watts'  and  select"  or  "Psalms  and 
Hymns"  of  other  denominations.  The  Springfield  Collection 
of  Hymns  for  sacred  worship.  By  JVilliam  B.  O.  Peahody 
(Springfield:  Samuel  Bowles,  1835)  was  more  pronounced 
in  its  attachment  to  the  old  hymns,  notably  Doddridge's, 
and  followed  Greenwood's  lead  in  using  the  Wesleyan 
Hymns.  He  exceeded  Greenwood  in  the  freedom  of  altera- 
tions and  rearrangements  he  made  in  the  texts  to  an  extent 
that  evoked  criticism  even  among  Unitarians. ^^ 

Somewhat  aside  from  the  succession  of  church  hymn 
books  stand  two  that  have  a  significance  of  their  own.  The 
Sunday  school  Hymn  Book  (Boston,  1833:  4th  ed.,  1835; 
followed  by  The  Sunday  school  Hymn  and  Service  Book. 
1844),  was  the  work  of  a  pioneer  among  Unitarians, 
Lewis  G.  Pray.  The  Chapel  Hymn  Book  (Boston,  1836; 
4th  ed.,  1842)  was  compiled  principally  by  Charles  F. 
Barnard,  who  had  consecrated  his  life  to  help  the  neglected 
children  of  the  poor  of  Boston.  Avoiding  hymns  pro- 
fessedly written  for  children,  he  aimed  at  a  simplicity  of 
thought  and  expression  that  would  find  acceptance  in 
mission  chapels  as  well  as  in  Sunday  schools. 

The  Christian  Psalter:  a  Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns 

'"It  was  at  that  time  used  by  50  congregations   (preface). 
^'See  notice  in  The  Christian  Examiner,  Sept.,  1835,  P-  "^^t^- 


462  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

for  social  and  private  worship  (Boston,  1841)  was  made 
by  William  P.  Lunt  for  the  First  Church  of  Quincy,  which 
had  just  celebrated  its  200th  anniversary.  Not  unfittingly 
the  hymn  book  seeks  the  older  type  of  Hymnody  and  avoids 
the  new;  but  if  old-fashioned  it  was  excellent  and  service- 
able. An  interesting  feature  was  22  pieces  from  a  complete 
metrical  Psalter  and  other  manuscript  devotional  poetry 
which  Mr.  Lunt's  parishioner,  ex-President  John  Quincy 
Adams,  put  into  his  hands  for  such  use  as  he  cared  to  make 
of  them.^^ 

Many  of  the  most  accomplished  men  in  the  denomination 
were  turning  their  minds  to  Hymnody  as  writers  or  editors 
or  both,  and  from  their  hands  proceeded  in  the  ensuing 
years  a  series  of  hymn  books  whose  literary  interest  was 
very  notable.  Dr.  James  Flint  of  Salem,  in  A  Collection 
of  Hymns,  for  the  Christian  Church  and  Home  (Boston, 
1843), '"'■■'•  was  largely  guided  in  his  choice  of  the  older  hymns 
by  the  wish  of  his  congregation  to  retain  as  many  as  prac- 
ticable from  the  collection  of  his  predecessor,  Dr.  Bentley. 
But  he  sought  also  hymns  new  or  unknown  in  America, 
though  failing  to  acknowledge  his  indebtedness  to  James 
Martineau's  collection,  from  which  he  borrowed  his  title 
and  much  of  his  materials.  Chandler  Robbins'  The  Social 
Hymn  Book  (Boston,  1843)  was  avowedly  based  upon 
Watts  and  Doddridge,  but  made  much  use  of  the  Breviary 
Hymns  and  other  unfamiliar  sources.  Prepared  for  the 
vestry  and  smaller  congregations  it  abounded  with  devo- 
tional feeling  and  added  an  appendix  of  21  tunes  as  a  novel 
feature.  Another  small  collection,  The  Disciples'  Hymn 
Book  (Boston,  1844)  of  James  Freeman  Clarke,  greatly 
endeared  itself  to  those  associated  with  the  new  Church  of 
the  Disciples,^'*  and  indeed  appealed  to  all  lovers  of  sacred 

°"W.  P.  Lunt,  At  the  interment  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  Boston, 
1848,  p.  60.  "He  who  had  occupied  the  throne  of  the  people  was,  like 
the  Hebrew  monarch,  also  a  Psalmist  in  our  Israel."    Ibid.,  p.  41. 

"^It  had  an  extensive  notice  in  The  Monthly  Miscellany  (1843; 
reprinted  separately)   and  in  The  Christian  Examiner,  July,   1843. 

"See  an  editorial  in  the  Boston  Transcript,  August  26,  191 1. 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  463 

poetry.  It  had  the  distinction  of  introducing  ''Nearer,  my 
God,  to  Thee"  into  the  United  States. 

Many  who  wished  something  more  "modern"  than 
Greenwood's  Collection  found  these  books  too  individual 
and  also  inadequate  to  the  full  round  of  church  occasions. 
This  led  to  the  preparation  of  Christian  Hymns  for  public 
and  private  worship.  A  Collection  compiled  by  a  committee 
of  the  Cheshire  Pastoral  Association  (Boston,  1846), 
which  was  edited  by  Abiel  A.  Livermore.  It  had  more 
than  900  hymns,  including  many  by  American  Unitarian 
writers,  and  sought  a  greater  metrical  variety,  apparently 
to  please  the  choirs.  It  afforded  another  proof  that  while 
many  people  prefer  a  small  hymn  book,  the  preachers  de- 
mand a  full  one;  and  it  attained  a  wide  use  that  called  for 
no  less  than  sixty  editions. 

George  W.  Briggs  of  Plymouth,  like  IVIartineau,  cared 
only  for  the  Hymnody  of  the  inner  life,  and  in  his  Hymns 
for  public  zvorship  (Boston,  1845)  sought  "to  bring  to- 
gether the  most  fervent  expressions  of  a  profound  spiritual 
life."  ^^  He  therefore  drew  more  largely  than  was  usual 
upon  the  Wesleyan  Hymns,  and  hymns  unknown  to  the 
other  collections.  Dr.  George  E.  Ellis'  A  Collection  of 
Psalms  and  Hymns  for  the  Sanctuary  (Boston,  1845), 
was  made  to  take  the  place  of  The  Springfield  Collection, 
already  out  of  print,  in  the  Harvard  Church.  On  that  and 
Greenwood's  it  was  based  in  the  main,  though  drawing 
from  a  wide  range  of  sources.  The  "Psalms"  were  in 
prose  arranged  for  antiphonal  use :  the  hymns  as  a  whole 
more  didactic  than  in  other  books  of  the  series  now  under 
consideration. 

A  Book  of  Hymns  for  public  and  private  devotion. 
Cambridge:  Metcalf  and  Company,  printers  to  the  Univer- 
sity, 1846  was  prepared  by  Samuel  Longfellow  and  Samuel 
Johnson,  while  fellow-students  at  Harvard  Divinity  School, 
and  is  a  landmark  in  Unitarian  Hymnody.  The  book  grew 
out  of  an  offer  to  provide  a  new  hymn  book  for  a  young 

^'See  preface. 


464  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

pastor  who  found  even  the  recent  ones  too  antiquated.^^ 
The  radical  tendencies  in  theology  of  the  editors  were  per- 
haps suggested  rather  than  embodied.  In  the  large  number 
of  hymns  relating  to  Christ  He  was  still  called  Lord  and 
Saviour,  and  his  miracles  were  emphasized,  but  the  im- 
mediate relation  of  the  worshipper  to  the  indwelling  Spirit 
and  the  humanitarian  aspect  of  religion  were  given  new 
prominence.^"^  The  literary  motive  was  predominant,  and 
all  available  sources  of  poetical  devotion  were  industriously 
studied.  Its  advance  in  a  poetical  direction  has  been  some- 
what overestimated  to  the  disparagement  of  its  predecessors, 
but  it  was  quite  marked.  Newman's  "Lead,  kindly  Light" 
was  found  without  name  in  a  newspaper,  and  printed  "Send 
kindly  light"  as  it  there  appeared.  Not  only  English  poets 
but  Longfellow,  Whittier,  Lowell,  Jones  Very,  Theodore 
Parker,  Mrs.  Stowe,  and  others  at  home  were  drawn  upon ; 
and  the  contributions  of  the  editors  themselves  were  notable. 
A  breezy  freshness  and  literary  charm  pervaded  the  book, 
and  gave  it  distinction  and  importance  even  in  a  remark- 
able series  of  hymn  books. 

The  book  was  at  once  severely  handled  and  warmly 
welcomed.  It  was  first  adopted  by  Edward  Everett  Hale's 
new  Church  of  the  Unity  at  Worcester  and  then  by  Theo- 
dore Parker's  Music  Hall  congregation;^^  though  it  seldom 
replaced  the  accepted  hymn  books.  It  took  two  years  to 
exhaust  the  first  edition,  at  the  end  of  which  time  it  was 
revised  and  reprinted.  The  editors  themselves  soon  out- 
grew its  theology,  but  it  left  a  mark  in  Hymnody  and  con- 
tributed to  its  permanent  resources. 

Hymns  of  the  Sanctuary  (Boston,  1849)  was  prepared 
by  Cyrus  A.  Bartol  and  others  as  a  new  edition  of  the  West 
Church  Collection,  and  was  not  unlike  Dr.  Ellis'  hymn  book 

°'Saml.  Longfellow  in  Lectures,  Essays,  and  Sermons,  by  Samuel 
Johnson,  Boston,  1883,  p.  30. 

"Ibid.,  p.  31 ;  and  cf.  Joseph  May,  Samuel  Longfellow,  Boston,  1894, 
p.  51. 

'^Joseph  May,  op.  cit.,  p.  52. 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  465 

of  1845.  There  seemed  books  enough.  But  interest  was 
aroused  by  the  announcement  that  Frederic  H.  Hedge  and 
Frederic  Dan  Huntington  were  collaborating  in  preparing 
a  new  one.  It  appeared  in  handsome  form  as  Hymns  for 
the  Church  of  Christ  (Boston,  1853;  8th  1000,  1861),  and 
reasonably  fulfilled  all  expectations;  being  hailed  by  The 
Christian  Examiner  as  "by  much  the  host  book  of  hymns 
yet  published."  The  sweep  of  its  catholic  spirit  included 
Breviary  Hymns  and  Toplady's  "Rock  of  Ages"  unaltered 
on  the  one  hand  and  the  ethical  verse  of  Emerson  and 
W.  J.  Fox  on  the  other.  It  was  pervaded  by  a  lofty  and 
tender  spirit  of  devotion,  and  maintained  a  literary  standard 
of  strength  and  beauty.  Convenient  for  use,  and  outwardly 
comely,  it  perhaps  reached  the  high-water  mark  of  a  full- 
tided  time.  Dr.  Hedge's  mind  was  breaking  away  from 
conventional  Christianity,  while  Dr.  (afterwards  Bishop) 
Fluntington's  was  turning  toward  catholic  tradition,  and 
before  leaving  Unitarianism  he  wrote  the  "Preface  to  the 
Lyra  Catholica"  in  Caroline  Whitmarsh's  Hymns  of  the 
Ages  (Boston,  1858) ;  a  volume  regarded,  not  without 
reason,  by  some  of  the  reviews  as  an  exotic  in  the  Cam- 
bridge atmosphere. 

The  only  other  book  of  note  in  the  '50s  was  Chandler 
Robbins'  Hymn  Book  for  Christian  worship  (Boston, 
1854),  an  enlargement  and  freshening  of  his  earlier  The 
Social  Hymn  Book,  with  Watts,  Doddridge  and  Mont- 
gomery still  in  the  lead.  Dr.  Samuel  Osgood,  a  New  Eng- 
lander  in  New  York,  gathered  a  choice  collection  of  159 
hymns,  that  was  both  literary  and  liturgical,  into  his  Chris- 
tian Worship  (New  York,  1862)  ;  a  service  book  in  which 
his  preference  of  the  Prayer  Book  system  of  worship  was 
already  revealed. 

Dr.  Osgood's  book  indicated  an  individual  reversion  to 
the  faith  and  forms  of  historic  Christianity.  An  opposite 
tendency  in  New  England  Unitarianism  found  two  years 
later  a  full  expression  in  Hymns  of  the  Spirit  (Boston: 
Ticknor  and  Fields,   1864),  the  second  book  of  Samuel 


466  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Longfellow  and  Samuel  Johnson,  which  they  prepared 
while  in  Europe  together  to  take  the  place  of  A  Book  of 
Hymns.^^  Both  men  had  adopted  the  view-point  of  uni- 
versal religion  of  which  Christianity  was  at  best  only  an 
illustration,  passing  from  Unitarianism  into  pure  theism. 
In  their  new  book  they  aimed  to  exclude  all  hymns  "which 
attributed  a  peculiar  quality  and  special  authority  to  Chris- 
tianity, and  recognized  a  supernatural  element  in  the  per- 
sonality of  Jesus."  ^^  Longfellow  dropped  out  even  the 
hymn  "Christ  to  the  young  man  said,"  written  for  his  ordi- 
nation by  his  brother,  because  "he  would  not  by  that  one 
name  disturb  the  simplicity  of  his  faith  in  the  one  Source  of 
the  soul's  higher  life."  This  scheme  of  a  theistic  hymn 
book  involved  among  other  things  a  great  literary  loss, 
both  in  the  sacrifice  of  many  of  the  most  beautiful  hymns 
of  the  earlier  book,  and  in  the  tinkering  of  the  materials 
included.  This  was  partly  compensated  for  by  the  new 
hymns  contributed  by  the  editors.  For  the  loss  in  circula- 
tion involved  in  the  changed  doctrinal  standard  the  editors 
were  doubtless  prepared. 

Comparing  this  series  of  hymn  books  with  those  in 
contemporary  use  by  other  denominations,  it  is  obvious 
that  New  England  Unitarians  led  the  advance  in  elevating 
the  literary  standard  of  American  Hymnody;  an  office  for 
which  their  culture  and  free  spirit  naturally  fitted  them. 
The  books  had  a  common  origin  in  the  desire  to  furnish 
a  devotional  manual  expressive  of  the  liberal  faith,  but  their 
motive  was  cultural  or  literary  rather  than  liturgical.  There 
was  no  doubt  a  liturgical  movement  in  Unitarianism,  for 
which  the  modified  Book  of  Common  Prayer  in  use  in 
King's  Chapel  afforded  an  always  available  though  artificial 
precedent.  Clarke's,  Hedge's,  Robbins'  and  Osgood's  hymn 
books  were  accompanied  by  service  books,  and  Longfellow; 
published  Vespers  in  1859.  The  Unitarians  led  also  in 
appropriating  the  old  Latin  hymns:  in   1843  Flint  intro- 

^^Lectures  &c.  hy  Samuel  Johnson,  pp.  61,  62. 
*"May,  Samuel  Longfellow,  p.  214. 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  467 

duced  four  of  Chandler's  versions  of  Breviary  Hymns 
and  Robbins  twenty  of  Bishop  Mant's.  But  the  spirit  of 
liturgies  is  traditional  and  the  spirit  of  Unitarianism  is  free, 
and  where  Unitarians  developed  real  liturgical  feeling,  as 
in  the  cases  of  Huntington  and  Osgood,  they  passed  over 
into  Episcopacy.  To  the  rest  the  ancient  prayers  and  hymns 
were  simply  literary  material  to  be  used  so  far  as  attractive 
or  altered  to  suit. 

Indeed  it  is  this  freedom  of  adaptation  that  occasioned 
the  great  drawback  to  an  appreciation  of  a  series  of  hymn 
books  otherwise  so  interesting.  Unitarians  had  always 
claimed  the  right  to  adapt  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns  to 
their  own  views  on  the  ground  that  if  Watts  had  lived  he 
would  have  done  so  himself.  But  they  proceeded  to  exer- 
cise the  same  privilege  in  the  case  of  all  hymn  writers  whose 
doctrinal  views  or  religious  experience  differed  from  their 
own.  In  the  series  of  books  before  us  this  has  become  so 
much  a  matter  of  course  that  only  rarely  is  any  note  made 
of  the  alterations;  the  author's  name  being  freely  signed  to 
what  he  did  not  write  nor  perhaps  believe.  And  yet  none 
was  ever  quicker  than  Samuel  Johnson  to  feel  the  ofifensive- 
ness  of  such  a  course  as  applied  to  his  own  hymns.  He 
prided  himself  on  having  "written  calmly  to  the  Reverend 
Dr."  who  in  "a  Presbyterian  Hymn-book"  altered  "Father" 
into  "Saviour"  in  his  "Father,  in  Thy  mysterious  presence 
kneeling."  ^^  It  is  possibly  a  surprise  that  several  of  these 
editors  should  have  retained  hymns  addressed  to  the 
Saviour,  including  "Jesus,  Lover  of  my  soul,"  and  their 
omission  would  under  the  circumstances  occasion  no  criti- 
cism. But  the  alteration  of  Charles  Wesley's  hymn  in  the 
books  of  Lunt  and  Bartol  and  the  Cheshire  Association 
into  "Father,  Refuge  of  my  soul"  is  an  offence  against 
literature  itself.*^- 

'^^Lectures  &c.  by  Samuel  Johnson,  p.  133. 

""Throughout  this  period  The  Christian  Examiner  repeatedly  pro- 
tested against  the  prevailing  practice.  For  its  views  see  "Alterations 
of  Hymns,"  May,  1862,  p.  352. 


468  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

2.     Unitarian  Hymnody  (1830-1864) 

The  period  of  Unitarianism  covered  by  these  hymn  books 
■ — between  the  '30s  and  the  Civil  War — was  precisely  the 
era  of  religious  debate  between  the  historical  and  the  new 
conceptions  of  Christianity  rather  than  a  time  of  what  is 
regarded  as  religious  revival.  And  it  is  somewhat  remark- 
able that  it  should  have  been  characterized  by  a  spirit  of 
devotion  expressed  in  a  great  outpouring  of  hymns,  such  as 
we  ordinarily  associate  with  a  revival  era. 

H  this  was  due  in  part  to  the  influence  of  Channing, 
his  spirit  at  all  events  found  its  personal  expression  in 
sermons  and  not  in  hymns.  But  Henry  Ware  jr.  made  his 
Christian  Disciple  a  vehicle  of  Hymnody,  printing  his  own 
"Lift  your  glad  voices  in  triumph  on  high"  as  early  as 
1 819.  Hymns  by  Andrews  Norton,  William  H.  Furness 
and  others  followed,  and  in  1827  Sarah  E.  Miles'  "Thou, 
who  didst  stoop  below." 

Of  the  hymn  book  editors  themselves,  Willard,  Flint, 
W.  B.  O.  Peabody,  Pray,  Lunt,  Hedge,  Huntington,  Clarke, 
Waterston,  Robbins,  A.  A.  Livermore,  Bartol,  Samuel 
Longfellow,  and  Johnson,  were  also  writers  of  hymns. 
Others  among  the  clergy  were  Samuel  Oilman,  N.  L.  Froth- 
ingham,  William  Newell,  Stephen  G.  Bulfinch,  Theodore 
Parker,  Edmund  H.  Sears,  Samuel  D.  Robbins,  Frederic 
A.  Whitney,  Thomas  Hill,  William  R.  Alger,  and  O.  B. 
Frothingham.  Among  the  laymen  were  Thomas  Gray  jr., 
William  H.  Burleigh,  and  Samuel  B.  Sumner.  Of  women 
writers  were  Eliza  Lee  Follen,  Sarah  W.  Livermore,  Caro- 
line Oilman,  Louisa  G.  Hall,  A.  R.  St.  John,  Mary  W. 
Hale,  Caroline  A.  Mason,  and  Margaret  Fuller.  Among 
Unitarian  poets  and  men  of  letters  who  also  wrote  hymns 
were  Bryant,  Emerson,  H.  W.  Longfellow,  O.  W.  Holmes, 
Lowell,  Jones  Very,  Higginson,  Charles  Sprague,  John 
Pierpont,  Charles  T.  Brooks,  and  James  T.  Fields. 

All  of  these  writers  have  contributed  hymns  that  are 
or  have  been  in  actual  use  in  Unitarian  worship.     Of  those 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  469 

who  have  enriched  the  Hymnody  of  the  Church  at  large, 
two  names  stand  apart.  Of  Dr.  Hohiies'  hymns,  "Lord 
of  all  being,  throned  afar"  and  "O  Love  Divine,  that  stooped 
to  share"  are  classics  of  devotion.  And  the  hymns  of 
Samuel  Longfellow,  however  radical  his  theology,  seem  to 
gain  with  every  year  a  larger  appreciation  and  a  wider  use, 
due  simply  to  their  spiritual  beauty  and  ardor. 

In  reviewing  the  body  of  this  new  Unitarian  Hymnody 
its  extent  is  in  itself  impressive  as  revealing  so  widely-felt 
an  impulse  to  give  devotional  expression  to  the  Unitarian 
faith.  Representing  in  the  main  the  work  of  men  and 
women  who  were  prose  writers  or  preachers  rather  than 
poets,  the  elevation  of  manner  and  the  choiceness  of  literary 
expression  in  the  hymns  are  notable,  and  show  a  high  com- 
mon level  of  culture  and  literary  ability;  though  here  as 
everywhere  the  divine  fire  is  confined  to  the  chosen  few. 
In  content  the  hymns  are  no  doubt  colored  and  limited  by 
the  theology  of  their  writers,  but  are  devotional  rather  than 
doo-matic:  when  the  polemical  tone  is  heard,  it  is  in  the 
later  theistic  rather  than  in  the  earlier  Unitarian  writers. 
We  may  safely  accept  from  their  anthologist  his  charac- 
terization of  these  "Songs  of  the  liberal  f aith"  i^^ 

"They  reveal,  as  a  class,  a  strong  faith  and  tender  trust  in  God  as 
the  Father;  a  fine  appreciation  and  love  of  all  that  is  grand  and 
beautiful  in  Nature;  a  deep  conviction  that  a  divine  hand  is  in  all 
things,  and  is  guiding  all  things  on  to  a  glorious  issue  and  end;  a 
profound  and  earnest  reverence  for  Christ,  as  the  Way,  the  Truth, 
and  the  Life,  and  a  heartfelt  recognition  of  his  Cross  as  the  ^emblem 
and  pledge  of  victory;  a  genuine  'enthusiasm  for  humanity  and  a 
sense  of  the  supreme  value  of  a  good  life,  and  a  large  and  genial 
sympathy  and  fellowship  with  all  true  and  faithful  souls  in  every 
sect  or  communion." 

The  marked  contrast  of  these  hymns  with  the  Evangelical 
Hymnody  is  in  the  type  and  tone  of  spiritual  experience 
they  embody,  the  substitution  of  a  certain  spiritual  com- 
placency for  the  earlier  sense  of  sin,  dependence  on  the 

"Alfred  P.  Putnam.  Singers  and  Songs  of  the  liberal  faith,  Boston 
1875,  p.  ix.  It  contains  full  selections  of  the  hymns  and  verse  of 
American   Unitarians,  with  biographical  sketches. 


470  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Redeemer  and  craving  for  deliverance.  George  W.  Briggs' 
resort  to  "the  Wesleyan  hymns,  and  others  of  a  kindred 
character"  for  "the  most  fervent  expressions  of  a  pro- 
found spiritual  life"  has  been  referred  to.  One  recalls  also 
how  the  heart  of  Dr.  Holmes,  Unitarian  and  poet,  turned 
in  his  old  age  to  the  Evangelical  Hymnody,  perceiving  in 
it  "the  old  ring  of  Saintliness"  and  the  virility  he  could 
not  find  in  the  modern  hymns.  "When  I  turn  to  the  hymn 
book,  and  when  one  strikes  my  eye,  I  cover  the  name  at  the 
bottom  and  guess.  It  is,"  he  said,  "almost  invariably  either 
Watts  or  Wesley;  after  them  there  are  very  few  which 
are  good  for  much."  ^^  To  others  it  will  be  just  as  obvious 
that  the  doctrine  and  experience  of  the  Evangelical  Hym- 
nody are  outworn,  and  it  will  be  conceded  by  all  that  they 
are  not  "Romantic." 

3.     Modern  Tendencies   (1861-1894) 

From  so  much  zeal  in  bettering  Unitarian  Hymnody  the 
natural  inference  would  be  that  Congregational  Song 
thrived  during  the  period  just  covered.  In  fact  there  was 
little  congregational  singing  of  any  sort,  and  in  the  more 
cultured  congregations  none  at  all.  The  hymns  were  an- 
nounced and  often  read  by  the  minister,  and  were  sung  by 
the  choir;  the  part  of  the  people  being  as  passively  receptive 
in  praise  as  during  the  sermon.  One  of  the  planks  in 
Freeman  Clarke's  platform  for  the  Church  of  the  Dis- 
ciples in  1841  was  "Congregational  Worship": — "By  con- 
gregational worship  I  mean  that  to  some  extent  the  congre- 
gation should  join  in  the  hymns  and  prayers."  ^^  The 
proposal  was  then  regarded  as  a  novelty.*^®  "We  have 
sought,"  say  the  committee  of  the  Cheshire  Association, 
three  years  later,  "to  give  a  lyrical  character,  and  thus  adapt 
it  [Christian  Hymns]  to  the  choir  as  well  as  the  pulpit."  ^"^ 

"Annie  Fields,  Authors  and  Friends,  Boston,  1896,  pp.  152,  153. 
^^James  Freeman  Clarke:  Autobiography  &c.,  Boston,  1892,  p.  158. 
'^Ibid.,  p.  145. 
''Preface  to  Christian  Hymns,  1844. 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  471 

The  tunes  were  neither  in  the  hands  nor  mouths  of  the 
people.  The  tune  "Merton"  which,  with  "Federal  Street" 
by  the  same  composer,  survives  as  a  memorial  of  the  time, 
is  said  by  Henry  K.  Oliver's  biographer  to  have  been  written 
out  in  the  choir  loft  during  a  service  in  the  North  Church, 
Salem,  to  fit  the  hymn  appointed  to  be  sung  after  the  ser- 
mon, and  to  have  been  rendered  by  the  choir  from  the 
manuscript.*'^ 

The  introduction  of  hymnals  provided  with  tunes  in 
other  denominations,  and  their  success  in  increasing  the 
interest  of  public  worship,  led  to  a  desire  for  a  Unitarian 
hymn  and  tune  book.®^  Samuel  Longfellow  had  published 
A  Book  of  Hymns  and  Tunes  (Boston,  i860)  for  "the 
children  of  the  New  Chapel,"  Brooklyn,  but  with  some  hope 
that  it  might  encourage  congregational  singing;  and  the 
demand  for  a  church  collection  with  tunes  became  so  urgent 
that  the  American  Unitarian  Association  took  the  matter 
in  hand,  and  issued  Hymn  and  Tune  Book  for  the  Church 
and  tJic  Home  (Boston,  1868).  The  collection,  edited  by 
Leonard  J.  Livermore,  marked  no  advance  over  its  prede- 
cessors but  its  tunes  were  well  up  to  the  average  level  and 
gave  it  a  great  advantage.  It  was  not  only  the  one  available 
hymnal  with  music,  but  the  first  in  the  nature  of  an  author- 
ized denominational  hymnal.  Its  adoption  and  use  by  the 
churches  was  very  wide,  and  it  helped  to  establish  congre- 
gational singing.  The  Hymn,  Tune  and  Service  Book  for 
Sunday  schools  (Unit.  Assn.,  1869)  followed,  and  the 
church  collection  was  carefully  revised  in  1883. 

These  books  represented  the  more  conservative  side  of 
Unitarianism,  as  did  Rufus  Ellis'  Hymns  for  the  Christian 
Church,  for  the  use  of  the  First  Church  of  Christ  in  Boston 
(1869),  which  really  belongs  to  the  earlier  series  as  being 
a  revision  of  Lunt's  Christian  Psalter  and  also  without 
tunes.     In  1890  two  hymn  books  appeared  which  sought  to 

''John  Wright  Buckham  in  The  New  England  Magazine,  December, 
1896,  p.  389. 

^'Preface  to  Hymn  and  Tune  Book,  1868. 


472  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

appropriate  the  newer  Anglican  tunes  and  much  of  the 
wealth  of  the  Oxford  school  of  hymn  writers: — Hymnal: 
amore  Dei:  compiled  by  Mrs.  Theodore  C.  Williams  (Bos- 
ton, 1890),  and  Hymns  of  the  Church  Universal.  Compiled 
hy  the  Rev.  Henry  Wilder  Foote  (Boston,  1890).  The 
latter,  a  posthumous  publication,  was  not  unworthy  of  its 
title,  and  represented  the  spirit  of  fellowship  with  all 
Christians  which  Mr.  Foote  had  cultivated  at  King's  Chapel. 
Mrs.  Williams'  collection  was  revised  in  1897,  and  Mr. 
Foote's  was  substantially  adopted  by  the  American  Uni- 
tarian Association,  reappearing  as  Hymns  for  Church  and 
Home.     With  tunes  (Boston,  1895). 

In  the  thirty  years'  dissension  between  the  "Christian" 
and  the  "free"  elements  of  Unitarianism  following  the 
organization  of  the  National  Conference  in  1864,  the  radical 
side  developed  its  own  school  of  hymn  writers  and  em- 
bodied its  views  and  practices  in  its  own  hymn  books.  The 
hymn  writing  is  much  more  important  than  the  hymn  books. 
John  W.  Chadwick,  of  Brooklyn,  who  has  been  called  poet 
laureate  of  the  liberal  faith,  wrote  his  best-known  hymn, 
"Eternal  Ruler  of  the  ceaseless  round,"  for  his  own  gradua- 
tion at  Harvard  Divinity  School  in  1864.  His  later  hymns 
and  verses  are  gathered  in  A  Book  of  Poems  (1876),  In 
Nazareth  Town  (1883),  and  Later  Poems  (1905).  Less 
known  are  the  hymns  of  Minot  J.  Savage,  contributed,  to 
the  number  of  43,  to  Sacred  Songs  for  public  worship.  A 
Hymn  and  Tune  Book.  Edited  by  M.  J.  Savage  and 
Howard  M.  Dozu  (Boston,  1883). 

In  1880  Frederick  L.  Hosmer,  William  C.  Gannett,  and 
J.  Vilas  Blake  cooperated  in  editing  Unity  Hymns  and 
Carols  in  which  both  theology  and  liturgies  were  frankly 
uprooted  from  a  Christian  basis  and  replanted  under  freer 
skies.  In  1885  Hosmer  and  Gannett  again  cooperated  in 
a  book  of  devotional  verse.  The  Thought  of  God  in  Hymns 
and  Poems  (Boston:  Little,  Brown  &  Co.),  followed  by  a 
second  series  (Boston:  1894).  The  beauty  and  devoutness 
of  their  work  at  once  commended  it  to  all  religious  minds, 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOX^EMENT  473 

and  it  has  already  become  a  source  book  for  editors  of 
all  religious  persuasions.  These  volumes  contain  the  most 
important  original  contribution  to  "liberal"  Hymnody  since 
the  books  of  Longfellow  and  Johnson.  And  it  is  somewhat 
noteworthy  that  four  hymn  writers  so  widely  acceptable 
should  have  viewed  Christianity  from  the  same  angle  of 
incidence. 

II.   The  Enrichment  of  Congregationalist  and  Pres- 
byterian Hymnody  is  Left  to  Private  Enterprise 

I.     Henry  Ward  Beecher  Leads  the  Movement  for 
Congregational  Singing  (1851) 

When  Henry  Ward  Beecher  came  to  the  new  Plymouth 
Church,  Brooklyn,  in  1847,  the  conditions  of  Congrega- 
tionalist and  Presbyterian  Church  Song  were  those  already 
described  as  of  the  middle  century:'^" — the  "Psalms  and 
Hymns"  in  the  hands  of  the  congregation  were  not  very 
appealing  and  were  without  music,  and  the  singing  was 
almost  wholly  in  the  hands  of  the  choir. 

There  was  no  doubt  much  dissatisfaction  with  the  pre- 
vailing method  and  some  preparation  for  its  betterment; 
but  if  the  spirit  of  change  was  in  the  air,  the  determination 
of  the  new  pastor  to  have  congregational  singing  was  still 
regarded  as  "one  of  Mr.  Beecher's  oddities."  ^^  He  in- 
duced Darius  E.  Jones,  then  conductor  of  music  in 
Plymouth  Church,  to  prepare  a  congregational  hymn  and 
tune  book,  and  the  firm  of  Mason  (sons  of  Lowell  Mason) 
to  undertake  the  publication  under  a  sufficient  guaranty. ^^ 
It  appeared  as  Temple  Melodies:  a  Collection  of  about  tzvo 
hundred  popular  tunes,  adapted  to  nearly  five  hundred 
favorite  Hymns,  selected  zvith  special  reference  to  public, 

^"Chap.  viii,  part  III,  section  2,  (4),  (5). 

"Lyman  Abbott,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  Boston,   1903,  p.  88. 

"See  Beecher's  account  of  its  publication  and  his  share  in  it  in 
W.  C.  Beecher  and  S.  Scoville,  Biography  of  Henry  Ward  Beecher, 
New  York,  1888,  pp.  363,  364. 


474  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

social,  and  private  worship.  By  Darius  E.  Jones  (New- 
York,  1851).  Several  clergymen  assisted  in  selecting  the 
hymns;  three,  including  George  Duffield  jr.,  contributed 
originals :  Mr.  Beecher's  organist,  John  Zundel,  helping  with 
the  music. 

Its  success  was  great  enough  to  please  its  editor,"^^  but 
Beecher  was  not  satisfied  with  the  new  book,  and  began  to 
prepare  a  larger  collection,  with  the  aid  of  his  brother 
Charles  and  Zundel  in  the  musical  department.'^*  No  pub- 
lisher could  be  persuaded  to  undertake  the  risk,  and  it  was 
printed  with  funds  privately  furnished^^  as  Plymouth  Col- 
lection of  Hymns  and  Tunes;  for  the  use  of  Christian 
congregations  (New  York:  A.  S.  Barnes  &  Co.,  1855),'^'^ 
The  tunes,  whether  familiar  or  new,  were  such  as  appealed 
to  the  feelings.  While  not  a  musician,  Beecher  loved  simple 
music,  and  regarded  himself  "as  a  pioneer"  '^'^  in  the  great 
cause  of  congregational  singing;  and  with  this  book  in  the 
people's  hands  he  wrought  great  things  at  Plymouth  Church. 
The  hearty  singing  of  the  vast  congregation  became  almost 
as  much  of  an  attraction  as  his  preaching. "^^  Its  fame 
spread  far  and  wide,  encouraged  countless  congregations 
to  emulate  it,  and  carried  the  Collection  itself  into  Baptist 
and  Presbyterian,  as  well  as   Congregational  churches. 

2.     The  Enrichment  of  Hymnody  for  Homiletical 
Ends  (1855-1858) 

Mr.  Beecher  gathered  his  materials  from  hymn  books 
of  all  denominations  without  special  knowledge  of  source 
or  text.  The  number  of  hymns  (1374)  is  sufficient  evi- 
dence that  the  ruling  motive  was  not  literary.     The  poets 

"Preface  to  his  later  collection  on  the  same  lines,  Songs  for  the 
new  life   (Chicago,  1869). 

"Preface  to  Plymouth  Collection. 

"Beecher  and  Scoville,  op.  cit.,  p.  364. 

"Also  without  music  as  Plymouth  Collection  of  Hymns,  1855. 

"Preface,  p.  viii. 

"C/.  N.  L.  Thompson,  The  History  of  Plymouth  Church,  N.  Y., 
1873,  P-  133- 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  475 

and  literary  hymn  writers  were  made  use  of,  just  as  were 
many  older  writers  far  from  being  literary,  whenever 
Beecher  thought  they  had  "power  to  excite  pious  emotions," 
and  were  thus  "useful."  ^^  Still  less  was  the  motive  litur- 
gical. The  use  made  of  Latin  hymns  was  not  from  the 
feeling  that  they  were  churchly,  but  in  the  "joy"  of  dis- 
covery that  some  "Roman  Catholic  Hymns"  were  "truly 
evangelical."  The  tone  of  the  Collection  itself  is  decidedly 
evangelical,  with  Watts  and  Wesley  in  the  lead;  the  use 
made  of  the  New  England  Unitarian  Hymnody  being  slight. 
The  interests  of  the  new  singing  in  connection  with  a 
constructive  theology  and  a  point  of  view  perhaps  more 
intellectual  and  less  emotional  than  Beecher's,  led  to  an 
elaborate  undertaking  on  the  part  of  two  Andover  pro- 
fessors, Edwards  A.  Park  and  Austin  Phelps.  They  pub- 
lished The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book:  for  the  service  of  song 
in  the  House  of  the  Lord  (New  York:  Mason  Bros., 
1858),  and,  with  Lowell  Mason's  help.  The  Sabbath  Hymn 
and  Tunc  Book  (New  York,  1859)  revised  as  The  nciv 
Sabbath  Hymn  Book  (1866).  As  compared  with  Beecher's 
The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  is  best  described  as  a  work  of 
scholarship.  Its  editors  explored  the  sources  of  Hymnody, 
did  not  hesitate  to  apply  literary  criteria,  and  treated  their 
materials  with  a  scholar's  precision.  Their  aims  and  meth- 
ods, then  so  novel,  were  expounded  and  vindicated  in  three 
papers  in  Bibliotheca  Sacra;  afterward  gathered  up  and 
enlarged  in  Hymns  and  Choirs:  or,  the  matter  and  the 
manner  of  the  service  of  song  in  the  House  of  the  Lord 
(Andover,  i860)  ;  the  first  and  still  the  only  American 
treatise  on  Hymnology.  They  believed  that  much  of  the 
Hymnody  of  Watts  and  his  school  was  outgrown  to  an 
extent  that  made  the  current  "Watts'  and  select"  ideal  re- 
gressive; that  both  hymn  writing  and  "hymnologic  taste" 
had  been  greatly  elevated  by  the  Romantic  Movement;  and 
that  it  was  the  Church's  duty  to  welcome  "new  songs"  of 
a  higher  lyric  strain.^"     They  brought  many  of  these  to 

'"Preface,  p.  iv.  ^"Hymns  and  Choirs,  p.  55- 


476  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

the  attention  of  the  churches,  and  called  to  their  aid  several 
living  writers,  of  whom  the  most  notable  were  Horatius 
Bonar  of  Scotland  and  the  American  Congregationalist, 
Ray  Palmer.  Palmer,  who  seems  to  have  been  silent  since 
the  day  of  Parish  Hymns  (1843)  contribtfted  a  series  of 
hymns  that  established  his  reputation  and  have  kept  The 
Sabbath  Hymn  Book  in  permanent  remembrance.  Among 
them  were,  "O  Bread  to  pilgrims  given,"  "J^sus,  Thou  Joy 
of  loving  hearts,"  "Come,  Holy  Ghost,  in  love,"  "J^sus, 
these  eyes  have  never  seen,"  and  "O  Christ,  our  King, 
Creator,  Lord." 

The  "Andover  book"  received  almost  unqualified  praise 
from  many  eminent  clergymen  and  such  periodicals  as  The 
New  York  Observer,  The  Congregationalist,  The  American 
Theological  Review  (August,  1859),  and  The  Congrega- 
tional Quarterly  (January,  1859),  and  it  was  adopted  and 
used  in  many  congregations.  But  it  had  rivalry  in  Elias 
Nason's  The  Congregational  Hymn  Book  (Boston,  1857) 
and  The  new  Congregational  Hymn  and  Tune  Book  (Bos- 
ton, 1859),  both  books  of  taste  and  careful  editing;  and 
their  publisher  retorted  to  the  notices  of  the  Andover  book 
in  The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  reviewed  (Boston:  Jewett  & 
Co.,  1858).  There  was  other  opposition  also;  as  in  The 
merits  of  the  "Sabbath  Hymn  Book,"  and  of  the  means 
which  are  employed  to  introduce  it  into  tJie  churches.  By 
a  clergyman  of  Massachusettts  (Boston:  Crocker  &  Brew- 
ster, 1859).  The  Methodist  Quarterly  Review  (January, 
1861)  objected  to  its  Calvinism,  and  (not  unjustly)  to 
many  of  its  textual  alterations. 

These  two  books  mark  the  transition  from  the  hesitations 
and  limitations  of  the  compromise  era  of  "Psalms  and 
Hymns"  to  the  free  and  catholic-hearted  use  of  available 
resources  that  characterizes  modern  Hymnody. 

And  yet,  notwithstanding  the  progressive  features  of  the 
two  books,  their  type  was  still  homiletical  rather  than  litur- 
gical in  either  a  larger  or  narrower  sense.  Plymouth  Collec- 
tion contained  1374  hymns,  and  upon  adopting  it  in  1856 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  477 

Miami  Conference  added  90:  the  Andover  book  1290.  We 
ask  the  meaning  of  these  vast  collections  that  render  any 
real  familiarity  with  the  hymns  a  hopeless  task,  and  whether 
the  people  really  demanded  them.  We  find  the  answer  in 
the  index  of  texts  in  The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  covering 
twenty-two  large  8vo  columns  in  fine  print,  and  followed 
by  an  "Analytical  Index  of  Subjects"  covering  323^ 
columns.  Only  a  trained  theologian  could  have  made  this 
analysis,  and  by  such  only  could  it  be  used.  It  was  the 
minister  and  not  the  people  who  wanted  this  analysis  for 
homiletical  purposes,  this  great  array  of  corresponding 
hymns.  In  both  books,  that  is  to  say,  the  motive  of  sermon 
illustration  and  enforcement  still  conditioned  Congrega- 
tional Praise. 

3.     The  New  Type  of  Church  Hymnal   (1855) 

The  Plymouth  Collection  of  1855  marks  also  the  transi- 
tion from  a  Hymnody  rendered  by  the  choir  to  congrega- 
tional singing,  and  from  the  older  type  of  hymn  book  to  the 
church  hymnal  of  today.  Beecher's  perception  of  the  neces- 
sity of  putting  the  music  as  well  as  the  words  of  the  hymns 
into  the  hands  of  the  people  who  were  to  be  encouraged  to 
sing  came  of  course  from  his  observation  of  the  success 
of  such  books  as  The  Christian  Lyre  and  Hastings  and 
Mason's  Spiritual  Songs.  But  the  application  of  the  prin- 
ciple to  the  church  hymn  book  was  a  novelty,  and  the 
doubtful  result  of  the  enterprise  appears  from  Beecher's 
inability  to  find  a  publisher  willing  to  assume  the  risk.  It 
is  worthy  of  remembrance  however  that  Leonard  W.  Bacon, 
then  pastor  of  St.  Peter's  Church  in  the  Presbytery  of 
Rochester,  published  as  of  even  date  with  Plymouth  Collec- 
tion, a  similar  but  smaller  aid  to  congregational  singing,  as 
Church  Music;  with  selections  .  .  .  from  the  Psalms  and 
Hymns  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Adopted  and  recom- 
mended by  St.  Peter's  Church,  Rochester  (Rochester,  1855). 
In  this  he  was  followed  by  Dr.  Nathaniel  C.  Burt  in  A 


478  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Pastors  Selection   of  Hymns   and    Tunes    (Philadelphia, 

1859). 

The  bringing  of  the  tunes  into  the  church  hymnal  greatly 
advanced  congregational  singing.  Nevertheless  Plymouth 
Collection  set  a  bad  model,  which  the  Andover  editors 
copied,  and  which  has  been  perpetuated  in  many  subsequent 
hymnals.  A  tune  was  printed  across  the  top  of  an  octavo 
page,  and  the  space  beneath  (divided  into  two  columns) 
and  even  an  opposite  page  was  filled  with  hymns  to  be  sung 
to  it.  It  was  seldom  that  all  the  hymns  were  adapted  to 
the  tune,  and  the  method  led  also  to  the  inclusion  of  surplus 
material  as  "filler,"  or  to  the  mutilation  of  good  hymns  for 
lack  of  available  space  to  print  them  in  full.  So  poor  and 
mechanical  an  expedient  was  suggested  no  doubt  by  the 
impracticability  of  printing  its  own  tune  to  each  of  so  great 
an  array  of  hymns. 

4.     Dr.  Robinson's  Popular  Hymnals   (1862-1875) 

In  the  ensuing  years  the  provision  of  hymn  books  for 
such  Congregational  and  Presbyterian  churches  as  did  not 
retain  older  books  fell  to  a  surprising  extent  into  the  hands 
of  one  man,  Dr.  Charles  S.  Robinson,  a  Presbyterian  pastor, 
who  made  hymn  book  compilation  what  must  be  called  a 
business.  Between  1862  and  1892  he  published  not  less 
than  fifteen,  including  Sunday  school  books  and  abridg- 
ments for  chapel  use.  He  aimed  at  edification,  and  sought 
popularity,  but  with  a  gradually  advancing  literary  and 
musical  standard. 

The  earliest  of  the  series  was  Songs  of  the  Church:  or, 
Hymns  and  Tunes  for  Christian  worship  (New  York: 
Barnes  and  Burr,  1862).  It  offered  a  compromise  between 
choir  music  and  congregational  singing,  with  859  hymns 
"for  the  congregation"  printed  under  tunes  in  the  Plymouth 
Collection  manner,  and  334  "for  the  choir"  without  tunes. 
The  hymns,  often  shortened  to  fit  the  page,  were  largely 
of  the  older  Evangelical  type.     The  selection  of  hymns  and 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  479 

the  general  tone  were  much  modernized  in  Robinson's 
second  book,  Songs  for  the  Sanctuary  (New  York:  Barnes. 
1865),  and  the  unset  choir  hymns  were  now  distributed  in 
groups  through  the  book.  It  met  an  extraordinary  success ; 
more  than  200,000  copies  coming  into  use  within  seven 
years  in  nearly  2000  congregations,  and  the  book  was  kept 
in  print  until  the  end  of  the  century.  Much  of  the  popu- 
larity of  these  collections  was  due  to  their  musical  editor, 
Joseph  P.  Holbrook,  a  tune  writer  in  the  parlor  music  style, 
and  his  use  of  the  popular  melodies  of  Mason  and  Hastings. 
Bradbury  and  Root,  Greatorex  and  Kingsley.  Holbrook 
furnished  settings  for  the  choir  hymns  in  Songs  for  the 
Sanctuary  in  his  Quartet  and  chorus  Choir  (New  York, 
1871),  and  sought  more  recognition  than  had  been  given 
him  in  a  hymnal  of  his  own,  Worship  in  Song  (New  York, 
1880)  ;  a  book  that  found  no  welcome. 

Dr.  Robinson's  third  book.  Psalms  and  Hymns  and 
Spiritual  Songs.  A  manual  of  worship  for  the  Church  of 
Christ  (New  York:  Barnes,  1875)  was  arranged  through- 
out for  congregational  use,  and  had  more  of  the  new  hymns. 
It  became  the  official  praise  book  of  the  Southern  branch  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church;  and  the  anticipation  of  such  adop- 
tion no  doubt  explains  Dr.  Robinson's  belated  reversion  to 
the  "Psalms  and  Hymns"  model. 

This  adaptation  to  the  usage  of  the  Southerners  is  an 
index  also  to  the  method  of  his  work  and  to  the  secret  of 
his  success  in  such  leadership  in  Hymnody  as  must  be 
accorded  to  him.  He  originated  nothing.  His  books  were 
modelled  upon  those  of  Beecher  and  the  Andover  profes- 
sors. In  freshness  and  freedom  of  selection  his  first  book 
was  a  step  backward;  and  he  was  a  timid  follower  of  their 
zeal  to  establish  congregational  singing.  He  shared  with 
them  the  prevailing  homiletical  conception  of  Hymnody 
but  guarded  the  advance  of  the  literary  motive,  lest  it  dis- 
turb sacred  associations.  In  some  things  he  was  more 
judicious  than  they,  especially  in  consulting  and  meeting  the 
general  taste.    He  aimed  to  please  the  choirs  by  giving  them 


48o  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

a  recognized  choir  hymn  to  set  at  will  and  to  render;  to 
please  the  ministers  by  giving  them  immense  collections 
(1193,  1342,  1294)  from  which  to  choose  sermon  illus- 
trations ;  and  to  please  the  people  by  giving  them  tunes  they 
loved  to  sing  in  church  and  at  home.  Perhaps  this  atmos- 
phere of  good  will  and  general  interest  in  Hymnody  was  a 
result  as  happy  and  as  important  as  any  could  have  been; 
coupled  as  it  was  with  a  gradual  improvement  in  the  choice 
of  hymns  and,  more  slowly,  in  the  religious  quality  of  the 
music.^^ 

Dr.  Robinson  found  his  opportunity  in  the  remissness 
of  the  church  authorities  in  meeting  the  needs  of  the  time. 
Incidentally  his  labors  proved  very  profitable  to  him  and  his 
publishers  and  unhappily  proved  a  great  stimulus  to  the 
commercial  side  of  hymn  book  making.  And  a  commer- 
cialized Hymnody  is  not  a  pleasant  object  of  contemplation 
to  any  one  who  cares  for  the  sanctities  or  the  best  interests 
of  public  worship.  We  may  defer  the  consideration  of 
Dr.  Robinson's  later  work,  which  came  under  the  influence 
of  Anglican  ideals  in  Hymnody  and  church  music  emanat- 
ing from  the  Oxford  Movement. 

III.     Other  Denominations  Follow  the  Unitarian 
Lead 

I.     "The  Christian  Hymn  Book"    (1863) 

No  denomination  profited  more  from  the  Unitarian 
movement  for  the  Improvement  of  Hymnody  than  the  sect 
of  Christians,  whose  revival  origin  and  somewhat  illiterate 
hymns  have  been  referred  to.  With  a  view  to  superseding 
various  books  and  "pamphlets"  in  use  the  Book  Association 
had  published  Hymns  and  spiritual  songs — original  and 
selected — for  the  use  of  Christians.  By  D.  Millard  and  J. 
Badger  (Union  Mills,  N.  Y.,  1831;  8th  ed.,  1840);  made 

"For  a  somewhat  differing  estimate  of  Dr.  Robinson's  place  and 
work  in  Hymnody  see  Jas.  H.  Ross  in  The  Homiletic  Review,  April, 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  481 

up  of  selections  from  Watts,  and  hymns  of  a  very  mixed 
character.  But  in  1863  appeared  The  Christian  Hymn 
Book,  for  the  Sanctuary  and  Home  (Boston:  Crosby  and 
Nichols,  1863),  edited  by  T.  C.  Moulton,  E.  Edmunds  and 
W.  Hathaway.  This  marked  a  change  indeed.  It  was 
worthy  in  make-up  and  method  and  contents  to  be  one  of 
the  current  Unitarian  series  of  hymn  books  on  which  it  was 
modelled;  and  was  indeed  regarded  by  The  Christian  Ex- 
aminer as  "unsurpassed  by  any  collection  that  has  been 
published."  ^^ 

2.    The  New  Universalist  Hymnody  (1846-1895) 

The  same  influences  affected  Universalist  Hymnody, 
both  in  manner  and  contents.  Hymns  for  Christian  Devo- 
tion; especially  adapted  to  the  Universalist  denomination. 
By  /.  G.  Adams  and  E.  H.  Chapin  (Boston,  1846)  an- 
nounced itself®^  as  representing  "a  liberal  and  progressive 
Christianity"  and  as  profiting  by  the  sheets  of  "the  new 
Cambridge  Unitarian  Hymn  Book."  Its  more  cultured 
tone  proved  not  unwelcome,  and  it  reached  a  17th  edition 
as  early  as  1853,  and  Vi^as  republished  in  1871  by  the 
denominational  Publishing  House  (Boston).  Mr.  Adams 
followed  it  up  independently  with  The  Gospel  Psalmist;  a 
collection  of  Hymns  and  tunes  (Boston,  1861)  ;  interesting 
as  the  first  attempt  to  provide  the  music  for  congregational 
singing,  "coming  into  practice  in  other  Christian  churches"'^^ 
Vestry  Harmonies  (Boston:  Universalist  Publ.  House, 
1868)  was  a  third  compilation  of  Mr.  Adams,  and  smaller. 
In  taking  up  Hymns  for  the  Church  and  the  Home:  with  a 
selection  of  Psalms.  Portland  Collection  (Boston:  Uni- 
versalist Publ.  House,  1865),  one  gets  the  impression  that 
the  publishers  have  put  the  denominational  imprint  upon 
some  one  of  the  current  Unitarian  hymn  books.  The  im- 
pression is  strengthened  by  the  combination  of  a  service 

''July,  1863. 

'"Preface. 

"Preface. 


482  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

book  with  the  hymns  in  A  Book  of  Prayer  for  the  Church 
and  the  Home  (n.  d.)  in  the  manner  of  several  Unitarian 
editors.  But  the  Portland  Collection  was  a  new  compila- 
tion by  Dr.  E.  C.  Bolles  and  Israel  Washburn  jr.  The 
book  was  without  music,  but  the  movement  to  introduce 
congregational  singing  encouraged  the  publishers  to  issue  a 
musical  edition,  with  the  addition  of  some  200  hymns, 
necessary  "to  make  each  page  complete,"  as  Church 
Harmonies:  a  collection  of  Hymns  and  tunes  for  the  use  of 
congregations  (Boston:  Universalist  Publ.  House,  1873). 

With  Church  Harmonies  new  and  old  (Boston:  Univer- 
salist Publ.  House,  1895),  the  denomination  secured  a 
hymnal  of  the  modern  type.  Its  hymns  and  music  are 
edited  with  some  care,  and  it  preserves  a  certain  distinc- 
tiveness and  regard  for  denominational  traditions  in  a 
decade  when  most  church  hymnals  sought  catholicity. 

Of  the  Universalist  hymn  writers  of  this  later  period 
John  G.  Adams  and  Edwin  H.  Chapin  are  known  within 
the  denomination,  and  Adams'  "Heaven  is  here :  its  hymns 
of  gladness"  was  in  The  Plymouth  Hymnal,  though  altered 
and  patriotically  ascribed  to  President  John  Quincy  Adams. 
The  Gary  sisters  are  better  known  poets  of  Universalist 
faith.  Phoebe's  tender  "One  sweetly  solemn  thought"  is 
in  wide  use,,  but  has  suffered  much  from  the  editorial  prun- 
ing knife.  Alice's  "Earth,  with  its  dark  and  dreadful  ills," 
"O  day  to  sweet  religious  thought,"  and  "To  Him  who  is 
the  Life  of  life,"  are  included  in  Horder's  Worship  Song. 


THE  OFFSET:  THE  "GOSPEL  HYMN" 
(185 1  to  date) 

The  Literary  Hymn  has  as  its  offset  the  "Gospel  Hymn." 
The  movement  to  elevate  the  literary  and  musical  tone  of 
church  worship  leaves  indifferent  a  large  class  both  in  and 
beyond  the   Church   whose   taste  is   for   light   music   and 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  483 

emotional  verse.  It  thus  invites,  and,  in  the  opinion  of  many 
earnest  Christian  workers,  justifies  a  counter-movement  to 
reach  that  element  upon  the  plane  of  their  own  taste  and 
accomplishment.  Hence  the  Evangelistic  Hymn,  the  Camp 
Meeting  and  Revival  Song,  and  in  our  own  day  the  Gospel 
Hymn. 

The  modern  Evangelistic  Movement  and  its  Hymnody 
centres  in  the  interdenominational  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  organized  at  London  in  1844,  and  at  Montreal 
and  Boston  in  1851.  The  rendering  of  familiar  church 
hymns  by  male  voices  in  a  then  strange  atmosphere  of 
"Union"  was  the  first  novelty  of  its  Hymnody.  In  the 
revival  of  1858  the  great  agency  was  the  "Union  Prayer 
Meeting"  in  large  cities,  and  the  prayer  meeting  developed 
spontaneity  and  brevity  in  the  use  of  hymns.  Union  Prayer 
Meeting  Hymns  (S.  S.  Union,  1858)  were  mainly  the 
familiar  hymns  of  the  Church.  During  the  ensuing  years 
of  Civil  War  the  Association  followed  the  young  men  to 
field  and  camp  and  hospital,  under  the  name  of  The  Chris- 
tian Commission.  Several  societies  cooperated  in  supply- 
ing little  hymn  books  for  the  field,  which  became  a  striking 
feature  of  army  work.^^  The  Soldiers'  Hymn  Book 
(Y.  M.  C.  A.)  reached  a  circulation  of  over  100,000  copies: 
that  of  The  Hymns  and  Tunes  for  the  Army  and  Navy 
(Am.  Tract  Soc.)  was  even  larger;  and  The  Soldiers' 
Pocket  Book  (Presbyterian  Bd.  of  Publ.)  was  a  favorite  of 
the  camps.  These,  as  also  the  hymn  books  for  the  Southern 
army,  were  mainly  confined  to  hymns  already  familiar  in 
church  or  school  at  home. 

But  in  its  city  work  after  the  war  the  Association  was 
soon  committed  to  the  Evangelistic  or  Revival  type  of 
Hymnody.  The  Young  Mens  Christian  Association  Hymn 
and  Tune  Book  (Boston,  1867 :  Philadelphia,  1872),  made 

'''See  Jas.  H.  Ross,  Hymns  and  Singers  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Boston : 
The  Pilgrim  Press,  1901 ;  chap,  iv,  "The  Hymns  of  the  Soldiers;"  also 
"Hawkey e's"  letter  from  the  field  in  The  (Philadelphia)  Presbyterian, 
Nov.  I,  1862. 


484  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

by  Secretary  L.  P.  Rowland,  is  not  very  different 'from  the 
earlier  "social"  and  "revival"  hymn  books,  but  enriched 
by  newer  melodies  of  Bradbury  and  others.  The  North- 
western Hymn  Book,  compiled  by  Dwight  L.  Moody,  then 
the  leader  of  the  Chicago  Association,  is  of  similar  type, 
with  a  larger  use  of  the  stirring  Sunday  school  songs  of  the 
Hull  and  Bradbury  school.  Indeed  the  long  series  of  Sun- 
day school  song  books  of  George  F.  Root,  William  B. 
Bradbury,  Asa  Hull,  Horace  Waters,  Silas  J.  Vail,  Robert 
Lowry,  William  G.  Fischer  and  others,  beginning  in  the 
late  forties  and  extending  forward  unbrokenly,  demand 
recognition  for  the  part  played  by  their  fresh  songs  and 
contagious  melodies  in  developing  a  taste  in  the  young  for 
the  lighter  type  of  religious  song.  They  prepared  the  way; 
and  as  the  Sunday  school  work  mingled  with  that  of  the 
Association,  and  of  the  Christian  Commission  during  the 
war,  to  go  forward  in  a  broadening  stream  of  evangelistic 
effort,  these  Sunday  school  books  furnished  the  evangelists 
with  the  earliest  examples  of  what  are  now  known  as 
Gospel  Hymns.  Among  them  were  Bradbury's  settings  of 
"Sweet  hour  of  prayer,"  "Lord,  I  hear  of  showers  of  bless- 
ing," and  "He  leadeth  me";  Fischer's  of  "I  love  to  tell  the 
story";  Lowry's  "Shall  we  gather  at  the  river,"  and 
O'Kane's  "O  think  of  a  home  over  there";  each  exhibiting 
the  now  faniiliar  marks  of  the  Gospel  Hymn,  even  the 
inevitable  refrain. 

More  specifically  the  prominence  of  the  Gospel  Hymn 
in  modern  evangelism  grew  out  of  the  "Praise  services" 
organized  as  early  as  1851^^  by  Eben  Tourjee,  who  became 
President  of  the  Boston  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  1871,  and  the  sing- 
ing of  H.  Thane  Miller  and  W.  H.  Doane  at  the  Associa- 
tion conventions;  the  "Services  of  Song"  given  by  Philip 
Phillips  at  Sunday  school  conventions  and  Christian  Com- 
mission meetings  and  indeed  around  the  globe,  and  in  asso- 
ciation with  the  Sunday  school  and  evangelistic  campaign  of 

*°Elias  Nason,  Lives  of  Moody  and  Sankey,  etc.,  Boston,  1877, 
p.  297. 


THE   ROMANTIC  MOVEMENT  485 

John  H.  Vincent  and  Dwight  L.  Moody  in  the  West;^^ 
and  the  work  of  PhiHp  P.  Bliss  in  connection  with  Moody's 
missionary  labors  in  Chicago.  Phillips  regarded  himself 
as  the  pioneer  in  introducing  "the  sacred  solo  into  religious 
meetings,  as  defined  worship"  ^^  and  his  association  with 
Moody  as  "doubtless  the  precedent  which  was  followed  by 
the  gospel  partnership  of  Moody  and  Sankey."  ^^ 

At  the  Indianapolis  Y.  M.  C.  A.  convention  of  1870 
Moody  first  met  Ira  D.  Sankey,  and  claimed  him  as  a 
helper  in  the  Chicago  work.^"  In  1872  they  started  together 
for  the  first  evangelistic  campaign  in  Great  Britain.  The 
extreme  unpreparedness  of  England  for  Sankey's  gospel 
songs  and  methods,  so  much  emphasized  by  his  biographers, 
was  perhaps  characteristic  of  conventional  church  circles 
rather  than  of  the  public  he  sought  to  reach.  Richard 
Weaver  had  introduced  solo-singing  at  his  meetings;  The 
Revival  Hymn  Book  (Morgan  and  Chase,  1858)  had 
proved  immensely  popular  in  connection  with  them,  and 
was  followed  by  the  serial  Heart  Melodies  and  by  Hymns 
of  Grace  and  Glory.^'^  William  Booth  began  his  tent  meet- 
ings at  Whitechapel  in  1865,  from  which  arose  The  Chris- 
tian Mission,  to  become  in  turn  the  Salvation  Army;  and 
in  the  late  '60s  published  The  Christian  Mission  Hymn 
Book,  the  predecessor  of  The  Salvation  Soldier's  Hymn 
Book.  It  contained  gospel  songs  in  abundance,  including 
many  of  the  new  American  Sunday  school  songs.  More- 
over Philip  Phillips  was  just  completing  his  second  British 
campaign,  and  had  made  his  method  of  "singing  the  gos- 
pel" widely  familiar.  His  The  American  sacred  Songster 
had  been  published  by  the  British  Sunday  school  Union 

"Philip  Phillips,  Song  Pilgrimage  around  the  world,  Chicago,  1880. 
p.  64. 

^Song  Pilgrimage,  p.  63. 

''Ibid.,  p.  64. 

•"Wm.  R.  Moody,  The  Life  of  Dwight  L.  Moody,  Chicago,  1900, 
p.  125. 

•^Geo.  E.  Morgan,  R.  C.  Morgan,  his  life  and  times.  New  York, 
n.  d.,  pp.  58,  174;  and  for  Weaver  and  his  songs,  pp.  118,  122. 


486  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

and  attained  a  circulation  claimed  as  over  one  million  one 
hundred  thousand  copies.^ ^  In  Scotland  and  Ireland  San- 
key's  sacred  songs  and  ways  were  more  novel,  and  under 
his  hands  the  American  melodeon  did  much  to  break  down 
the  Presbyterian  prejudice  against  "organs."  ^^ 

One  of  Philip  Phillips'  song  books,  Hallowed  Songs, 
was  adopted  by  Moody  and  Sankey  for  their  meetings,  and 
Sankey  made  use  of  various  songs  he  had  brought  from 
Chicago.  Copies  of  these  were  so  often  asked  for  that  an 
effort  was  made  to  have  them  appended  to  Hallowed 
Songs.^^  On  its  publisher's  refusal  Morgan  and  Scott 
printed  them  in  a  1 6-page  pamphlet,  lettered  Sacred  Songs 
and  Solos,^^  and  sold  for  sixpence.  This  was  the  nucleus 
of  the  "Moody  and  Sankey  Hymn  Book,"  but  in  England 
it  kept  its  original  name,  and  has  since  grown  by  gradual 
accretions  to  a  volume  of  1200  pieces.  The  evangelists, 
it  is  pleasant  to  record,  refused  the  royalties,  amounting 
by  the  end  of  their  tour  to  £7000.^*^ 

At  home,  P.  P.  Bliss  had  followed  Sankey's  lead,  and 
associated  himself  for  evangelistic  work  with  D.  W. 
Whittle,  preparing  for  their  use  a  small  collection  of  Gospel 
Songs  (Cincinnati,  1874).  In  this  were  no  less  than  fifty- 
two  tunes  of  his  own  composition,  in  many  cases  set  to 
words  also  written  by  him.  The  hymns  were  striking  and 
sometimes  dramatic:  the  tunes  were  hardly  original,  being 
full  of  old  and  familiar  ideas  and  phrases,  but  were  of  a 
vivacious  sort  sure  to  become  popular  when  they  found  their 
opportunity.  Upon  Moody's  return  it  was  decided  to  unite 
the  Sacred  Songs  and  Solos  used  abroad  with  materials 
furnished  by  Bliss'  book,  and  the  joint  collection  was  pub- 
lished as  Gospel  Hymns  and  sacred  Songs.    By  P.  P.  Bliss 

^'Song  Pilgrimage,  p.  62. 

°^J.  S.  Curwen,  Studies  in  worship  music,  2nd  series,  London,  n.  d., 
p.  40. 

"Moody,  op.  cit.,  p.  170. 

'"Without  date,  but  first  advertised  in  The  Christian  for  Sept.  18, 
1873.     Moody,  p.  171. 

''Moody,  op.  cit.,  p.  172. 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  487 

and  Ira  D.  Sankey,  as  used  by  them  in  gospel  meetings 
(Biglow  and  Main  and  John  Church  and  Co.,   1875). 

The  book  was  introduced  at  the  great  Moody  meetings  in 
the  Brooklyn  Rink  and  the  old  Pennsylvania  Railroad  depot 
in  Philadelphia  and  at  other  cities  with  a  somewhat  over- 
whelming effect,  and  was  circulated  in  immense  quantities 
throughout  the  country.  The  Gospel  Hymns  may  be  said 
to  have  carried  the  more  emotional  and  less  cultivated 
element  of  religious  people  off  its  feet,  and  to  have  fur- 
nished for  a  time  the  familiar  songs  of  vast  numbers 
hitherto  unaccjuainted  with  hymns  and  unused  to  public 
worship.  The  new  melodies  penetrated  even  the  music 
halls  and  were  whistled  by  the  man  on  the  street.  Some  of 
the  new  hymns  became  household  words;  notably  "Ho! 
my  comrades,  see  the  signal,"  "Let  the  lower  lights  be 
burning,"  "Light  in  the  darkness,  sailor,"  and  "Almost 
persuaded  now  to  beHeve,"  by  Bliss;  "Safe  in  the  arms  of 
Jesus"  and  "Rescue  the  perishing"  by  "Fanny  Crosby"; 
"I  love  to  tell  the  story"  and  "Tell  me  the  old,  old  story" 
by  Miss  Hankey;  and  "I  need  Thee  every  hour"  by  Annie 
S.  Hawks. 

Bliss  and  Sankey  became  the  heads  of  an  evangelistic 
school  of  hymn  and  tune  writers  (the  hymns  and  tunes 
being  hardly  separable)  ;  and  as  Moody's  work  continued, 
they  with  James  McGranahan,  George  C.  Stebbins,  D.  C. 
Towner  and  others,  met  the  demand  for  new  songs  with 
fresh  contributions.  Gospel  Hymns  and  sacred  Songs  was 
followed  in  1876  by  Gospel  Hymns,  No.  2,  and  in  1878  by 
No.  j;  the  series  ending  with  No.  6  in  1891,'''^  succeeded  by 
similar  collections  with  other  names  but  under  the  same 
auspices.  The  later  books  naturally  lacked  the  fresh  in- 
terest of  the  first,  and  encountered  also  very  many  rivals 
which  the  early  success  had  developed. 

It  ought  now  to  be  evident  that  while  the  Gospel  Hymn 
is   inevitably   associated   with   the   names   of    Moody   and 

"'For  annotations  on  the  hymns,  see  Ira  D.  Sankey,  Sankey's  Story 
of  the  Gospel  Hymns,  Philadelphia,  1906. 


488  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

Sankey,  their  part  was  to  bring  an  older  movement  to  the 
culmination  of  a  great  popular  success  rather  than  to 
inaugurate  a  movement  that  was  novel.  Nor  did  the  songs 
they  brought  forward  with  so  much  effect  constitute  either 
in  words  or  music  a  type  of  hymn  distinctively  new  or  even 
clearly  marked  off  from  its  predecessors.  And  yet  their 
popular  success  was  certainly  distinctive,  and  presents  a 
new  phase  of  hymn  singing  as  notable  in  its  way  as  the 
XVnith  century  outburst  of  Methodist  Song;  and  it  re- 
mains to  be  accounted  for. 

It  came  largely  from  the  fresh  appeal  to  the  emotions 
which  this  group  of  tune  writers  was  able  to  infuse  into 
its  compositions.  In  the  original  Gospel  Hymns  and  sacred 
Songs  this  appeal  was  shared  in  to  a  large  extent  by  the 
hymns  written  or  chosen  to  carry  the  tunes.  But  there  is 
suggestiveness  in  Sankey' s  confession  that  he  found  it 
"much  more  difficult"  to  get  suitable  words  than  tunes  f^ 
and  as  the  series  proceeds,  a  rereading  of  the  hymns  be- 
comes on  the  whole  a  dull  exercise,  the  proportion  that 
quickens  feeling  or  tickles  the  sense  of  rhythm  becoming 
comparatively  small.  The  tunes  also  become  more  mechan- 
ical, no  doubt;  but  the  early  melodies  that  lived  are  of  the 
sort  that  appeal  to  the  average  emotional  nature  through 
the  senses.  They  are  "easy,"  and  "catchy"  and  sentimental, 
swaying  with  soft  or  martial  rhythm  and  culminating  in  the 
taking  "refrain" ;  calling  for  no  musical  knowledge  to 
understand  and  no  skill  to  render  them ;  inevitably  popular 
with  the  unfailing  appeal  of  clear  melody. 

Even  so  the  popular  appeal  of  these  Gospel  Hymns  can- 
not be  disassociated  from  the  persons  and  occasion  that 
first  brought  them  into  general  notice  any  more  than  the 
Methodist  fervor  of  song  can  be  separated  from  Wesley  and 
the  Revival.  They  were  first  heard  in  the  sweet  tones  of  a 
magnetic  singer  in  the  intense  atmosphere  created  by 
Moody's  preaching,  and  first  sung  in  unison  with  a  great 
throng  of  deeply  moved  people.    Something  of  the  spiritual 

'■"J-  S.  Curwen,  Worship  Music,  2nd  series,  p.  39. 


THE  ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  489 

impression  they  made  was  reflected  from  the  simple  and 
sincere  personahties  of  the  evangelists.  They  were  plain 
men  employing  the  arguments  and  illustrations,  the  music 
and  verse,  that  appealed  to  themselves  in  the  conviction 
that  such  preaching  and  song  was  best  adapted  to  appeal 
to  their  hearers. 

Why  then  (so  the  argument  runs)  since  the  great  ma- 
jority of  people  who  come  under  revival  influences,  whether 
of  Moody  or  his  successors,  are  likewise  plain  and  unculti- 
vated, is  not  the  Gospel  Hymn  best  adapted  to  the  ends 
of  evangelistic  work?  And  if  happily  these  people  are 
brought  into  the  worshipping  congregation,  why  should 
they  be  asked  to  forego  the  sentimental  verse  and  popular 
melody  that  appeal  to  them  in  favor  of  a  more  literary 
Hymnody  and  more  artistic  music?  That  there  is  some 
force  in  the  argument  is  beyond  doubting.  Many  hearts 
have  been  quickened  through  these  hymns  that  seem  to  the 
critical  crude  in  sentiment  and  unrefined  in  expression. 
And  the  editor  of  one  of  the  choicest  of  modern  musical 
hymnals  has  admitted  that  through  the  compositions  of  the 
"Gospel  Hymns"  school  "music  has  become  the  expression 
of  the  spiritual  life  for  thousands  who  before  were  without 
a  voice  in  public  worship,  and,  as  suppressed  feeling  easily 
dies,  were  often  without  any  share  in  public  worship."  ^^ 
But  there  is  truth  also  in  the  limitation  of  Prof.  Pratt: — 

"The  defenders  of  this  popular  hymnody  .  ,  .  very  often  very 
gravely  underestimate  the  capacity  of  the  popular  mind  to  rise  above 
vulgar  embodiments  of  truth  and  to  shake  itself  free  from  perverted 
sentimentality,  and  they  constantly  mistake  the  zest  of  animal  enjoy- 
ment in  a  rub-a-dub  rhythm  or  the  shout  of  childish  pleasure  in  a 
'catchy'  refrain  for  real  religious  enthusiasm."  "^ 

On  the  whole  it  is  quite  consistent  with  a  faith  in  the 
pure  motives  of  the  inspirers  of  Gospel  Hymns  and  a 
recognition  of  the  good  they  have  done  to  believe  that 

""Lyman  Abbott,  "Historical  Introduction"  to  The  Plymouth  Hym- 
nal, New  York,  1894,  p.  xii. 

'""Waldo  S.  Pratt,  Musical  Ministries  in  the  Church,  Revell  Co., 
1901,  p.  62. 


490  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Wesley's  elevated  standard  of  Revival  Hymnody  is  more 
devout  and  hence  more  prudent,  and  that  his  conjunction  of 
the  educational  process  with  revival  enthusiasm  is  the  more 
complete  and  satisfying  system. 

It  was  the  lack  of  any  educational  ideal  or  development 
in  the  "Gospel  Hymns"  school  of  Hymnody  that  has  caused 
its  rapid  deterioration.  Countless  imitators  of  Gospel 
Hymns  were  raised  up,  without  the  inspiration  and  some- 
times without  the  unmixed  motives  of  the  leaders.  Every 
new  evangelist  following  Moody's  methods  must  have  his 
Sankey  and  his  own  hymn  book.  Moreover  the  immense 
pecuniary  success  of  the  Gospel  Hymns  series  (in  which 
Moody  and  Sankey  took  no  share  for  personal  use)  offered 
great  temptations  to  publishers  and  writers,  and  the  making 
of  such  books  soon  became  a  trade.  They  deteriorated 
partly  because  the  standard  of  popular  music  and  verse 
descended  to  the  rag-time  level,  and  partly  because  it  is 
simpler  to  deal  with  the  great  public  on  its  own  plane,  or 
a  little  below  it,  than  to  attempt  to  uplift  it. 

The  diminished  usefulness  of  Gospel  Hymns  became  so 
obvious  that  a  movement  to  return  to  a  more  sober  Hym- 
nody began  in  the  same  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
that  had  led  the  way  in  introducing  them.  Under  the  inspira- 
tion of  Charles  Cuthbert  Hall  appeared  the  excellent  Praise 
Songs  (New  York,  1897)  for  Y.  M.  C.  A.  use.  It  was 
followed  in  1898  by  Church  Hymns  and  Gospel  Songs 
(Biglow  and  Main  Co.),  in  which  Sankey,  McGranahan 
and  Stebbins  themselves  restored  the  standard  hymns  to 
their  rightful  precedence.  It  was  again  Cuthbert  Hall  who 
arranged  the  Hymnal  for  the  Jubilee  Convention  of  Young 
Men's  Christian  Associations  (1901),  made  up  almost  ex- 
clusively of  the  choicest  hymns  and  tunes  of  The  Hymnal 
(1895)  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

As  to  the  effect  of  the  Gospel  Hymn  movement  upon 
church  Hymnody,  it  threatened  at  first  to  be  very  serious. 
In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  it  almost  uprooted  the 
established   Hymnody,   and  made  the  task  of  those   who 


THE   ROMANTIC   MOVEMENT  491 

would  conserve  the  old  standard  of  worship  very  difficult 
for  a  time.  In  many  other  denominations  the  Gospel  Hymns 
took  possession  of  the  Sunday  schools,  Christian  Endeavor 
societies  and  devotional  services,  and  encouraged  a  genera- 
tion to  grow  up  largely  without  the  help  and  inspiration  of 
great  hymns.  To  many  of  these  the  tone  of  Church  Praise 
seems  still  to  lack  the  "go"  and  vivacity  to  which  they  had 
grown  accustomed;  and  Gospel  Hymns,  old  or  new,  keep 
knocking  at  the  church  gates  for  admission.  The  time  has 
come  when  it  is  perceived  that  all  songs  called  Gospel 
Hymns  are  not  a  homogenous  mass,  and  that  they  should 
be  judged  like  other  hymns  upon  their  individual  merit. 
And  as  affecting  the  standard  of  that  judgment  it  cannot 
count  for  nothing  that  a  generation  of  active  Christians  has 
been  accustomed  to  associate  these  sentimental  verses  and 
contagious  melodies  with  the  offices  of  religion. 

One  influence  of  the  Moody  and  Sankey  movement  on 
Church  Song,  already  very  marked,  is  the  new  recognition 
or  at  least  tolerance  of  an  Evangelistic  Hymnody  given  by 
all  denominations.  Either  as  a  department  of  "mission 
services"  in  the  church  hymnal  or  as  an  authorized  "mission 
hymnal,"  the  needs  of  evangelistic  work  are  being  met.  In 
these,  it  seems  likely  that  some  of  the  Gospel  Hymns  may 
find  some  permanence.  The  recent  The  English  Hymnal 
(Oxford,  1906)  contains  for  instance  no  less  than  five 
hymns^*^^  with  their  original  settings  from  the  first  number 
of  Gospel  Hymns  and  sacred  Songs. 

Many  have  prophesied  that  the  older  type  of  evangelism 
and  Evangelistic  Hymnody  has  largely  fulfilled  its  mission 
and  lost  its  attraction ;  and  is  to  undergo  a  change  of  method 
and  spirit.  And  it  is  possible  that  the  phenomenal  XXth 
century  evangelistic  campaign  of  William  A.  Sunday  has 
surprised  a  church  whose  mind  was  strongly  turned  away 
from  the   emotional   side   of   religious   experience   toward 

'"^  "Ho !  my  comrades,"  "I  hear  Thy  welcome  voice,"  "Safe  in 
the  arms  of  Jesus,"  "Tell  me  the  old,  old  story,"  and  "There  were 
ninety  and  nine." 


492  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

social  and  ethical  aspects  of  religion.  With  attractive  power 
quite  equal  to  Moody's,  though  with  some  devices  Moody 
would  have  declined,  Sunday  has  gained  a  wide  hearing  for 
Whitefield's  gospel  of  the  XVHIth  century  Great  Awaken- 
ing, even  repeating  Gilbert  Tennent's  fierce  indictment  of 
the  churches.  But  to  a  less  degree  than  either  Whitefield 
or  Moody  he  has  evoked  or  depended  upon  the  fervor  of 
popular  song.  He  has  not  found,  and  perhaps  not  sought, 
a  Sankey ;  and  Great  Revival  Hymns  No.  2  (Chicago,  1910) 
is  both  in  its  contents  and  its  appeal  a  contrast  indeed  to 
Gospel  Hymns  and  sacred  Songs.  The  great  success  of  the 
Sunday  movement  opens  anew  the  question  of  the  future 
of  the  older  type  of  evangelism  and  Evangelistic  Song, 
which,  as  we  shall  show,  is  now  confronted  by  a  new  "Social 
Gospel"  and  a  somewhat  aggressive  activity  in  the  develop- 
ment of  a  popular  "Social  Hymnody." 


CHAPTER   X 
THE  HYMNODY  OF  THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL 

I 
IT  DOMINATES  THE  CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND 

I.     The  Movement  to  Restore  the  "Primitive" 
Church   Hymnody   (1833) 

Keble's  The  Christian  Year  appeared  in  the  same  year  as 
Heber's  Hymns,  and  like  them  had  been  long  delayed.  The 
book  was  not  a  hymnal,  by  intention  or  in  effect.  The 
meditative  verse  lends  itself  reluctantly  to  hymnic  use,  and 
the  familiar  Morning  and  Evening  Hymns^  extracted  from 
the  opening  pieces  have  been  taken  at  the  cost  of  marring 
the  beauty  of  those  poems.  It  had  little  direct  influence 
upon  Hymnody  except  as  it  elevated  the  standard  of  sacred 
verse.  Its  influence  lay  in  the  glamour  of  poetry  it  threw 
upon  the  feasts  and  fasts  of  the  liturgical  year,  its  call  upon 
the  imagination  to  prepare  the  w^ay  for  the  Oxford  Move- 
ment. Of  this  Movement  Keble  was  the  undoubted  founder, 
and  his  Assize  Sermon  of  14th  July,  1833,  was  ever  re- 
garded by  Newman  as  its  actual  start.  And  this  Movement 
was  destined  to  exert  a  most  direct  and  pronounced  influence 
upon  the  Hymnody  of  the  Church  of  England  first  of  all, 
and  ultimately  upon  that  of  all  English-speaking  Churches. 

The  Prayer  Book  with  its  elements  of  compromise  be- 
tween Catholic  and  Reformed  types  of  churchmanship,  was 
to  give  opportunity  for  the  movement  and  to  prove  the 
center  of  its  operations. 

^  "New  every  morning  is  the  love"  and  "Sun  of  my  soul,  Thou 
Saviour  dear." 


494  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

The  task  of  demonstrating  the  essential  cathoHcity  of  the 
Prayer  Book  was  undertaken  by  William  Palmer  of  Mag- 
dalen. His  Origines  Liturgicae,  or  Antiquities  of  the  Eng- 
lish Ritual,  published  in  1832,  was  an  essential  factor  of  the 
preparations  for  the  Movement.  Now,  in  the  Prayer  Book 
the  daily  order  for  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer  replaces 
the  Divine  Office  for  the  observance  of  the  daily  Hours  of 
Prayer  in  the  old  system.  But  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer 
are  so  trifling  in  the  extent  of  their  contents  against  the  vast 
bulk  of  the  Divine  Office  as  gathered  in  the  four  volumes 
of  the  Breviary,  that  it  suited  Palmer's  thesis  to  show  how 
complicated  and  cumbrous  the  Office  had  become,  and  that 
before  the  Reformation  various  expedients  of  abridgment 
were  resorted  to;  thus  indicating  the  prudence  of  the  Re- 
formers in  reducing  the  Hours  of  Prayer  to  two,  and  drop- 
ping the  great  mass  of  appointed  materials.-  Among  the 
materials  missing  from  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer  were 
the  metrical  hymns  that  made  a  stated  part  of -the  Office. 
Hence  it  suited  Palmer's  purpose  to  slight  the  hymn-singing 
feature  of  the  Breviary,  and  by  citing  in  a  foot-note  decrees 
of  certain  Councils  prohibiting  it,  to  leave  the  impression 
that  hymn  singing  was  not  Catholic  in  the  "semper"  and 
"ubique"  sense.^ 

If  this  position  had  been  maintained  by  the  other  Oxford 
leaders,  the  subsequent  fortune  of  the  English  Hymn  would 
have  been  different  from  what  we  know.  Some  of  them 
undertook  the  study  of  the  Breviary  in  a  different  spirit,  as 
expressed  by  Newman  in  the  title  of  his  75th  number  of  the 
famous  Tracts  for  the  Times,  "On  the  Roman  Breviary  as 
embodying  the  substance  of  the  devotional  services  of  the 
Church  Catholic."  Newman's  thesis  was  that  the  Breviary 
was  an  inestimable  treasure  of  devotion,  of  which  the 
Roman  Church  had  defrauded  the  Church  at  large,  by 
retaining  the  ancient  Latin  form,  and  that  the  Church  of 
England  should  reappropriate  what  it  had  lost  by  mere 

"Vol.  i,  "Antiquities"  etc.,  chap,  i,  pt.  i,  "Hours  of  Prayer." 
^Ed.  4,  1845,  vol.  i,  p.  224  and  note. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  495 

inadvertence.'*  To  this  end  he  appended  123  pages  of 
selections  from  the  Breviary  translated  by  him,  including  in 
their  proper  places  versions  of  ten  of  the  Office  Hymns  ren- 
dered into  his  limpid  verse. 

As  early  as  1829  Bishop  Lloyd's  divinity  lectures  at  Ox- 
ford upon  the  sources  of  the  Prayer  Book  had  directed 
attention  to  the  breviaries,  and  the  contents  of  a  copy  of  the 
Paris  Breviary  brought  over  by  Sir  John  Prevost  took  Keble 
and  Isaac  Williams  "much  by  surprise."  ^  Charmed  by  the 
beauty  of  its  hymns,  Williams  at  once  began  to  translate 
them,  and  in  1833  to  publish  his  versions  in  The  British 
Magazine.  In  1839  he  gathered  them  into  a  volume,  Hymns 
translated  from  the  Parisian  Breviary  (London,  Riving- 
ton).  But  Williams  dreaded  the  use  of  unauthorized  hymns 
in  the  Church  services,  and  originally  chose  "unrhythmical 
harsh  meters  to  prevent  this."  ^  This  course  he  subsequently 
modified,  and,  in  the  preface  of  1839,  expressed  the  opinion 
that  Crannier  had  omitted  the  Breviary  hymns  from  the 
Prayer  Book  because  of  the  lack  of  competent  translators, 
but  that  they  were  more  congenial  to  the  spirit  of  the  book 
than  the  modern  hymns  so  often  introduced  in  connection 
with  it.  Newman,  on  the  other  hand,  thought  the  hymns 
had  been  "discarded  because  of  associations  with  which 
they  were  then  viewed,  and  of  the  interpolations  by  which 
they  were  disfigured,  but  that,  when  purified  from  these, 
they  at  once  commended  themselves  to  the  thoughtful  mind 
who  would  repair  the  breaches  of  the  Reformation."^  The 
average  opinion  of  the  time  is  illustrated  in  John  Chandler, 
fellow  of  Corpus  Christi  and  curate-  of  Witley,  who  had 
become  a  seeker  for  things  primitive.  He  had  not  been 
aware  that  there  were  any  good  ancient  hymns  extant,  and 
regarded  those  contained  in  what  he  calls  "Popish  missals" 
as  "barbarous  in  their  latinity  as  defective  in  their  doc- 

*Tract  No.  75,  pp.  i,  2. 

^Autobiography  of  Isaac  Williams,  B.D.,  2nd  ed.  London,  1892, 
PP-  36,  37- 

"Ibid.,  p.  37,  note.  'Preface  to  Hymni  Ecdesiae,  1838. 


496  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

trine."  ^  To  the  English  hymns  in  current  use  he  objected 
likewise,  not  only  as  unauthorized,  but  because  "many  are 
from  sources  to  which  our  Primitive  Apostolic  Church 
would  not  choose  to  be  indebted."  ^  His  attention  was 
caught  by  Williams'  versions  of  the  Parisian  hymns,  ap- 
pearing in  The  British  Magadne.  He  purchased  a  copy  of 
the  Paris  Breviary  and  of  Casander's  Hynini  Sacri  of  1556, 
and  set  to  work  upon  the  translation  of  the  hymns.  In 
1837  he  published  The  Hymns  of  the  primitive  Church, 
now  first  collected,  translated  and  arranged,  by  the  Rev.  J. 
Chandler.  The  work  was  hasty,  and  the  versions  far  from 
reproducing  the  originals.  But  it  was  opportune,  and  the 
hymns  were  rhythmical;  and  Chandler's  book  played  a 
considerable  part  in  the  revival  of  Latin  hymns. 

In  the  same  year,  an  Irish  bishop,  Richard  Mant,  pub- 
lished his  Ancient  Hymns,  from  the  Roman  Breviary,  for 
domestic  use,  with  a  preface  commending  the  hymns  and 
other  parts  of  the  Breviary  as  an  acceptable  manual  of 
private  devotion.  In  1838  Newman  followed-  with  his 
Hymni  Ecclesiae,  being  two  volumes  of  the  texts  of  Latin 
hymns,  the  first  from  the  Paris  Breviary,  the  other  from 
the  Roman  Breviary  and  other  sources. 

The  prominence  of  the  Paris  Breviary  and  the  Breviary 
of  Urban  VIII  in  this  movement  to  restore  things  primitive 
is  curious  enough.  The  hymnal  of  the  Paris  Breviary  from 
which  Williams  worked,  and  in  which  Chandler  found  The 
Hymns  of  the  primitive  Church,  was  substantially  the  work 
of  a  group  of  French  poets  writing  to  the  order  of  the 
Archbishop  of  Paris;  and  whose  work  appeared  in  1736, 
with  the  intention  of  supplanting  the  ancient  hymns  by 
these  on  modern  lines.  And  the  Breviary  Hymns  of  Bishop 
Mant  were  from  the  Renaissance  hymnal  which  Urban  VIII 
introduced  into  the  Roman  Breviary  of  1632,  to  satisfy  the 
pseudo-classical  taste  of  his  time.  One  gets  the  impression 
that  among  this  first  group  of  restorers  Newman  alone  knew 

^Preface  to  Hymns  of  the  primitive  Church,  1837,  p.  viii. 
'Ibid.,  p.  iv. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  497 

what  he  was  about.  To  the  others,  in  the  elation  of  dis- 
covery, everything  Latin  was  assumed  to  be  primitive,  and 
to  men  educated  in  the  classical  atmosphere  of  Oxford  the 
language  of  the  later  hymnals,  in  its  approach  to  classical 
models,  appealed  more  than  the  early  hymns  could  have 
done,  even  had  they  known  them.^°  They  were  working 
with  no  adequate  knowledge  of  their  materials;  but  their 
work,  however  amusingly  ineffective  for  the  specific  pur- 
pose they  had  at  heart,  proved  effective  enough  in  the 
general  interests  of  Hymnody. 

2.     The  Result:  the  Liturgical  Hymn 

And  what  their  work  did  for  Hymnody  may  be  summed 
up  under  three  heads  : — 

( I )  It  put  hymn  singing  in  the  Church  of  England  upon 
an  entirely  different  status.  Just  as  psalm  singing  had 
come  into  the  Church  with  the  taint  of  Geneva  on  it,  a 
practice  to  be  tolerated  at  best  and  kept  apart  from  the 
authorized  Prayer  Book  system,  but  had  in  course  of  time 
been  taken  up  by  the  churchly  party  itself  as  a  venerable 
institution  to  be  protected  and  conserved  against  encroach- 
ment ;  so  it  was  now  to  be  with  hymn  singing.  The  Hymn 
was  the  badge  of  dissent,  and  had  obtruded  itself  into  the 
Church  under  the  impulse  of  revival  enthusiasm  outside. 
It  was  the  particular  encroachment  that  threatened  the 
integrity  of  the  Metrical  Psalmody  which  the  high  church 
party  would  protect.  It  was  a  lawless  novelty  of  the 
Evangelicals,  but  perhaps  under  all  the  circumstances,  to 
be  tolerated  and  made  the  best  of.  But  unexpectedly  these 
new  researches  into  things  primitive  revealed  the  Hymn 
as  distinctly  one  of  them,  a  constituent  part  of  the  Daily 
Office  and  even  of  the  Mass,  embedded  in  their  structure, 
sung  everywhere  from  most  ancient  days  at  their  rendering. 
Hymn  singing  instead  of  being  Evangelical  was  revealed  as 
Catholic.     The  logic  of  the  situation  was  inevitable,  and 

'"C/.  Jno.  M.  Neale's  article  in  The  Christian  Remembrancer,  1850, 
hereafter  referred  to. 


498  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

hence  all  this  zeal  to  provide  versions  of  the  historic  hymns, 
and  the  present  agreement  of  Catholic  and  Evangelical  in 
accepting  the  status  of  hymn  singing  in  the  Church  of 
England. 

(2)  It  revealed  the  Latin  hymns  to  the  Church  and 
acclimated  them.  The  rich  sources  of  Church  Song  thus 
opened  up  had  remained  till  then  practically  unexplored; 
and  it  was  a  great  enrichment  of  English  Hymnody  that 
the  Ambrosian  Hymnody  embodied  in  the  Breviary  and  laid 
aside  at  the  Reformation,  together  with  the  later  accretions 
of  church  hymns,  whether  Roman  or  Gallican,  should  once 
more  be  restored  to  English  use.  This  enrichment  and 
restoration  has  in  the  course  of  time  become  so  much  an 
accepted  thing  that  we  hardly  appreciate  the  changed  point 
of  view  involved.  But  it  is  doubtful  if  anything  short  of 
Tractarian  principles,  or  any  urgency  less  than  the  Oxford 
upheaval,  would  have  had  the  force  to  overcome  the  deep 
prejudices  and  deliberate  ignorance  that  had  kept  the  old 
church  hymns  outside  the  pale  of  Protestant  sympathy. 

(3)  li  affected  the  motive  and  content  of  the  English 
Hymn  itself;  establishing  (rather  than  introducing)  a  dis- 
tinct type — the  Liturgical  Hymn. 

The  Evangelical  Hymn  is  inevitably  the  voice  of  the 
believer;  the  Liturgical  Hymn  is  the  voice  of  the  worship- 
ping church.  The  Evangelical  Hymn  deals  primarily  with 
inward  experience;  the  Liturgical  Hymn,  even  though  ex- 
pressive of  common  experience,  relates  it  objectively  to  the 
hour  of  worship,  the  church  season  or  occasion,  the  ordi- 
nance and  sacrament.  The  Evangelical  Hymn  is  free;  the 
Liturgical  Hymn,  in  theory  at  least,  is  the  metrical  element 
of  a  closely  articulated  liturgical  order,  having  its  fixed 
place  which  determines  its  contents.  Bishop  Heber's  mind 
and  hand  were  turned  toward  this  ideal,  and  served  as  a 
preparation  for  its  fulfillment  at  the  hands  of  the  Oxford 
Reformers  and  their  disciples.  Newman's  Tract  No.  /j 
exemplified  the  Liturgical  Hymn  in  situ.  And  the  early 
group  of  books  of  hymns, — -Williams',  Chandler's,  Mant's, 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  499 

—were  all  liturgical.  With  an  appearance  of  being 
accommodated  to  the  familiar  Prayer  Book,  they  were  in 
reality  articulated  by  the  far  more  complicated  framework 
of  the  Breviary,  and  brought  with  them  something  of  its 
doctrine  and  terminology.  Each  day  of  the  week  has  its 
special  hymns,  and  Chandler  provides  for  the  daily  noc- 
turns,  matins  and  even  song.  There  are  hymns  for  the 
Sundays  and  familiar  fasts  and  feasts  not  only,  but  for 
their  vigils  and  octaves,  for  a  line  of  saints'  days,  and  for 
the  commemoration  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  the  holy 
martyrs,  bishops,  presbyters,  virgins,  etc. 

The  Liturgical  Hymn  was  thus  one  of  the  earliest  prod- 
ucts of  the  Movement,  and  came  into  life  full  fledged. 
This  happened  naturally  from  the  amount  of  attention  given 
the  Breviary.  And  the  Breviary  furnished  precisely  that 
portion  of  the  ancient  system  of  devotion  which  could  be 
incorporated  into  the  English  with  the  least  degree  of 
friction,  because  it  was  adapted  for  private  recitation,  and 
was  so  used  in  the  Roman  Church.  It  is  true  that  Tract 
No.  75  brought  upon  Newman  "a  great  deal  of  censure"^^ 
Even  Keble  and  Williams  were  frightened  on  learning  that 
two  of  Newman's  pupils  were  on  the  point  of  publishing  a 
complete  English  translation  of  the  Roman  Breviary,  with 
the  hymns  translated  by  Newman,  who  yielded  to  their 
remonstrances  with  some  heat.^^  g^t  no  one  could  interfere 
with  Newman's  daily  recitation  of  the  Breviary  Offices,  and 
in  this  practice  he  was  soon  followed  by  Pusey.^^  Daily 
public  service  in  the  church  had  been  established  by  Thomas 
Keble  at  Bisley  since  1827,  later  at  Oxford  by  Newman  and 
Williams,^^  and  also  in  London  at  the  Margaret  Chapel,  the 
chosen  place  at  which  Tract^irian  principles  were  to  be 
applied  to  public  worship.     It  was  not  possible  to  substitute 

"Letter  to  the  Bishop  of  Oxford,  Oxford  1841,  p.  9- 
'-Williams,  Autobiography,  p.  103. 

'^H.  P.  Liddon,  Life  of  Edward  B.  Pusey,  2nd  ed.,  London   1893, 
vol.  ii,  pp.  145.  146. 
"Williams,  pp.  75  ff- 


500  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

the  Breviary  Ofifices  for  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer  at 
such  services.  But  Hymnody  u^as  as  free  for  Tractarians 
as  for  Evangelicals.  And  the  use  of  the  Breviary  Hymns 
afforded  the  most  available  means  of  recognizing  any  de- 
sired number  of  holy  days,  and  of  imparting  a  Tractarian 
atmosphere  to  the  whole  service. 

3.     Early  Tractarian  Hymnals:  John  Mason  Neale 
(1836-1858) 

There  was  therefore  a  need  of  new  hymn  books.  The 
first  of  note  after  the  beginning  of  the  movement  was  the 
Psalms  and  Hymns  adapted  to  the  services  of  the  Church 
of  England,  published  in  1836  by  W.  J.  Hall  of  Tottenham. 
This  has  generally  been  regarded  as  high  church,  for  no 
reason  apparent  other  than  the  mitre  embossed  upon  the 
cover,  or  its  arrangement  of  the  hymns  under  the  Sundays 
of  the  church  year,  after  the  model  of  Heber.  It  won  the 
approval  of  the  Bishop  of  London,  and  a  circulation  of 
4,000,000  copies  is  claimed  for  it.^^  It  represented  the 
Oxford  leaders  in  no  way,  and  was  unacceptable  to  them.^® 

A  small  collection  printed  by  J.  Holt  Simpson  in  1837, 
Psalms  and  Hymns,  original  and  selected,  included  some 
translations  of  Mant,  Chandler  and  Williams.  More  signifi- 
cant was  A  Selection  of  Psalms,  to  which  are  added  Hymns 
chiefly  ancient,  published  the  same  year  by  Dods worth,  the 
incumbent  of  Margaret  Chapel.  Several  of  Chandler's  ver- 
sions are  in  Hymns  selected  for  the  parish  of  Sandhach  by 
J.  Latham  in  1841;  and  in  1842  Chandler  himself  revised 
and  arranged  his  translations  in  hymnal  form,  as  The 
Hymns  of  the  Church,  mostly  primitive,  collected,  trans- 
Iceted  and  arranged  for  public  use  (London,  Parker).  In 
1849  appeared  Introits  and  Hymns  for  Margaret  Chapel 
(enlarged  ed.  1852)  ;.and  two  books  of  1850,  Henry  Stret- 
ton's  Church  Hymns,  and  Joseph  Oldknow's  Hymns  for 

^'"Cf.  Julian,  Dictionary  of  Hymnology,  p.  336. 
"Jno.   M.  Neale  in   The  Christian  Remembrancer,   (1850),  calls  it 
"one  of  the  worst." 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  501 

the  services  of  the  Church,  are  largely  made  up  of  the  trans- 
lations of  the  Oxford  group.  An  anonymous  London 
Hymn  Book  for  the  use  of  churches  and  chapels  intro- 
duced some  of  the  versions  of  Edward  Caswall.  His  Lyra 
Catholica,  appearing  in  1849,  contained  versions  of  all  the 
hymns  in  the  Roman  Breviary  and  Missal.  Caswall  was 
among  the  earliest  Oxford  Tractarians  to  pass  over  (in  the 
succeeding  year)  to  Rome.  But  his  translations  found 
general  favor,  and  were  reprinted  in  New  York  in  1851. 

This  early  group  of  Tractarian  hymnals  evinces  the  dis- 
position of  a  widening  circle  to  follow  the  Oxford  leaders 
in  their  search  for  the  old  paths.  They  accepted  the  mate- 
rials furnished  by  the  Oxford  translators,  and  employed  it 
with  little  knowledge  or  discrimination.  The  books  might 
serve  to  experiment  with  in  local  use,  but  no  one  of  them 
commended  itself  to  Tractarians  generally,  or  was  worthy 
to  become  the  nucleus  of  an  "Anglo-Catholic  Hymnal." 

These  facts  were  set  forth  in  an  article  on  "English 
Hymnology,  its  History  and  Prospects,"  contributed  by 
John  Mason  Neale  to  The  Christian  Remembrancer  in  1850. 
This  pungent  paper  reviewed  the  current  Evangelical  Hym- 
nody  in  a  very  contemptuous  spirit,  but  dealt  just  as  freely 
with  the  Oxford  translators : — Their  zeal  for  the  newly  dis- 
covered primitive  Hymnody  had  carried  them  off  their  feet, 
and  in  choosing  the  Paris  Breviary,  they  had  mistaken  the 
new  paths  for  the  old;  their  work  was  careless  and  inade- 
quate, and  its  metres  badly  chosen ;  as  embodied  in  the  new 
hymn  books,  it  was  unworthy  of  acceptance  by  the  Church. 
At  the  time,  Neale's  proposals  for  the  ideal  hymnal  did  not 
go  beyond  a  better  selection  and  better  translation  of  the 
Breviary  Hymns,  with  some  12  or  15  of  the  best  English 
hymns  added,  the  whole  to  be  revised  by  competent 
scholars. 

No  man  in  England  had  an  equal  right  with  Neale  to  say 
these  things.  And  this  paper  may  be  said  to  mark  the  point 
of  contact  of  his  gifts  and  scholarship  with  the  actual 
Hymnody  of  the  Church.   He  was  among  the  earliest  Cam- 


502  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

bridge  disciples  of  the  Tractarian  Movement,  already  spend- 
ing the  long  vacations  in  researches  in  ecclesiastical  archae- 
ology.^''' He  made  himself  a  master  of  post-classic  Latin, 
and  began  to  prepare  for  a  history  of  the  mediaeval  Latin 
poets.^^  These  neglected  authors  he  loved  for  their  own 
sake,  accounting  Adam  of  St.  Victor  the  greatest  Latin  poet 
of  all  ages.^^ 

Neale  pursued  his  hymnological  studies  with  life-long 
ardor,  and  with  results  that  put  the  study  of  mediaeval 
Hymnody  upon  a  new  basis  for  English-speaking  people. 
His  study  of  "The  Ecclesiastical  Latin  Poetry  of  the  Middle 
Ages"  contributed  to  Encyclopaedia  Metropolitana,^^  laid 
out  the  field.  By  patient  researches  among  the  manuscript 
sources  on  the  continent,  he  "brought  to  light  a  multitude 
of  hymns  unknown  before."  ^^  In  his  treatise  on  Se- 
quences,^^ he  for  the  first  time  revealed  the  actual  essence 
and  structure  of  these  most  characteristic  hymns  of  the 
Middle  Ages.  And  by  his  translations  he  added  a  great 
wealth  of  mediaeval  Hymnody  to  the  actual  resources  of 
English-speaking  Churches.  Of  these  versions  the  earliest 
were  gathered  in  185 1  as  Mediaeval  Hymns  and  Sequences; 
ninety- four  appeared  in  the  Hymnal  noted  in  1852-54.  The 
Rhythm  of  Bernard  followed  in  1858,  and  Hymns  chicUy 
mediaeval  in  1865.  After  Neale's  death  a  few  more  of  his 
translations  appeared  in  S.  Margaret's  Hymnal  (privately 
printed,   1875). 

These  translations  have  been  challenged  by  Roman  Cath- 
olics, on  the  one  hand,  as  wanting  in  fidelity  to  the  whole 
doctrinal  contents  of  the  originals,  and  on  the  other  by 
Protestants  as  importing  too  much  of  the  Roman  atmos- 
phere into  the  Church  of  England.    On  the  whole  it  may  be 

"E.  A.  Towle,  John  Mason  Ncalc,  London,  1906,  p.  35. 
^^bid.,  p.  31. 

"Preface  to  his  Mediaeval  Hymns,  2nd  ed.,  p.  ix. 
'"Vol.  25. 

'^Printed  in  The  Ecclesiologist,  of  which  he  was  joint  editor. 
"Originally   attached   to   his    Mediaeval   Hymns,   and    enlarged    for 
Daniel's   Thesaurus  Hymnoloqicus. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  503 

said  of  Neale's  method  of  translation  that  his  aim  was  prac- 
tical and  his  ameliorations  or  omissions  were  generally  those 
suggested  by  prudence  or  good  taste,  with  a  view  to  the 
admission  of  the  hymns  to  the  Church  of  England.  A 
literal  fidelity  would  have  gratified  a  few  scholars.  As  it 
was,  these  strong  and  beautiful  versions  just  filled  the  needs 
of  contemporary  and  later  Tractarians,  and  many  of  them 
passed  the  bounds  not  only  of  party  but  of  the  Church  of 
England,  and  gave  a  new  color  to  Protestant  Hymnody. 
The  atmosphere  of  the  time  was  favorable  to  the  dissemina- 
tion of  the  monastic  conceptions  of  rehgion.  Evangelicalism 
itself  was  more  other-worldly  than  now.  And  Dr.  Neale 
was  able  to  say  that  his  "Jerusalem  the  golden"  was  the 
most  popular  hymn  of  the  Church. 

This  practical  aim  of  Dr.  Neale  rapidly  developed  into 
nothing  short  of  a  proposal  that  the  Church  of  England 
should  forego  the  use  of  English  Protestant  hymns  alto- 
gether in  favor  of  English  versions  of  the  pre-Reformation 
hymns.  He  had  been  careful  to  preserve  the  original  metres 
and  rhythm  of  these  hymns  in  his  own  work,  and  now  took 
the  position  that  if  they  were  to  be  sung  at  all,  they  lost 
greatly  by  being  separated  from  their  original  melodies.  He 
argued,  moreover,  that  the  Gregorian  music  had  not  only 
the  claim  of  a  remote  antiquity,  reaching  back  in  some  part 
to  the  usage  of  the  first  temple,  but  that  it  was  the  only 
music  that  had  any  imprimatur  of  the  Church  acting  in  its 
corporate  capacity. ^^ 

This  proposal  Neale  embodied  in  a  hymn  book,  under  the 
sanction  and  with  the  co-operation  of  the  Ecclesiological 
Society,  and  the  musical  editorship  of  Thomas  Helmore. 
The  first  part  of  the  Hymnal  noted  appeared  in  1852,  con- 
taining 46  hymns,  mostly  from  the  Sarum  office  books,  set 
to  their  plain-song  melodies;  the  second  part  in  1854,  with 
59  hymns  from  various  ancient  sources :  the  work  in  final 
form  with  accompanying  harmonies  in  1858;  94  of  the  105 
hymns  being  Neale's  own  work, 

"'Preface  to  Hymnal  noted,  ed.  1858. 


504  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

In  this  hymnal  the  seekers  for  the  ancient  paths  had 
reached  their  goal.  But  their  position  was  inevitably  lonely. 
The  average  organist  and  singer  could  not  even  decipher 
the  strange  Gregorian  notation.  The  general  absence  of 
definite  rhythm  and  clear  melody  and  the  accumulation  of 
unessential  notes  in  the  festal  tunes,  put  the  congregational 
performance  of  this  ancient  music  among  things  least 
likely  of  attainment.  The  number  of  cathedral  and  paro- 
chial authorities  prepared  to  return  to  the  hymns  and  tunes 
of  the  Sarum  office  books  was  inconsiderable. 

We  feel,  in  looking  back,  that  proposals  so  revolutionary 
and  so  impracticable  might  not  only  have  failed  to  accom- 
plish their  purpose,  but  might  have  caused  also  a  reaction 
in  which  the  whole  subject  of  a  liturgical  Hymnody  should 
have  sunk  out  of  the  hearing  of  English-speaking  Churches. 
But  such  was  not  the  case.  The  Hymnal  noted  had  but  a 
trifling  adoption.^^  It  met  with  ridicule  and  contempt  in 
certain  quarters.  But  it  was  also  a  full  realization  of  Trac- 
tarian  dreams  of  a  "Catholic"  Hymnal. 

Neale's  proposals  remain  in  the  mind  of  the  more  con- 
sistent Anglicans  as  an  ideal  that  has  never  been  foregone. 
There  has  never  ceased  to  be  a  party  to  keep  before  the 
Church  the  paramount  claims  of  the  ancient  hymns  set  to 
the  ancient  tunes.  The  place  of  the  hymns  is  now  secure 
enough.  The  opportunity  of  the  Gregorian  music  is  equally 
free.  Quite  beyond  the  bounds  of  Tractarianism,  the  his- 
toric sense  is  gratified  by  the  use  of  historic  hymns  set  to 
their  proper  tunes.  But  it  still  remains  to  the  advocates 
of  Gregorian  music  to  convince  the  English  peoples  that  it 
contributes,  as  a  whole,  either  to  their  edification  or  their 
pleasure.  It  is,  however,  to  be  noted  that  each  of  the  three 
latest  Church  of  England  hymnals  in  wide  use  makes  pro- 
vision for  singing  a  number  of  the  more  liturgical  hymns 

"It  became  best  known  through  its  long  use  at  St.  Alban's,  Holborn. 
where  it  furnished  words  and  melodies  for  the  "Office  Hymns,"  which 
were  supplemented  by  hearty  congregational  song  provided  for  in  a 
series  of  supplements  and  the  very  modern  "St.  Alban's  Tune  Book." 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  505 

to  their  plain-song  melodies.  Such  unanimity  is  interesting : 
its  effects  remain  to  be  seen. 

In  other  directions  also  Dr.  Neale's  work  for  Hymnody 
was  of  note;  in  his  zeal  for  a  better  Children's  Hymnody, 
and  his  carols  and  original  hymns.  Especially  he  was  a 
pioneer  in  the  re-discovery  of  the  hymns  of  the  Greek 
Church.  His  researches  in  this  overlooked  and  not  super- 
ficially attractive  field  were  pioneer  work.  His  translations 
and  transfusions  published  as  Hymns  of  the  Eastern 
Church,  first  appearing  in  1862,  again  enlarged  the  re- 
sources of  the  Church.  Dr.  Neale  has  performed  the  a 
priori  impossible  feat  of  making  a  few  of  the  Greek  hymns 
a  part  of  the  standard  Hymnody  of  English-speaking 
Churches,  even  though  by  methods  of  free  dealing  and 
adjustment.  In  the  way  thus  opened,  a  small  school  of 
hymn  translators  has  followed.  In  the  People's  Hymnal  of 
Dr.  Littledale  (1867),  no  less  than  28  Greek  Church  hymns 
appear  as  candidates  for  actual  use.  With  such  recognition 
of  a  new  field,  Allen  William  Chatfield  published  in  1876 
his  Songs  and  Hymns  of  earliest  Greek  Christian  Poets, 
and,  among  others,  Robert  Maude  Moorsom  followed  in 
1901  with  his  Renderings  of  Church  Hymns  from  Eastern 
and  Western  OfUce  Books.  The  most  diligent,  and  not  the 
least  successful,  present  worker  in  this  great  field  is  a  Scot- 
tish Presbyterian,  Dr.  John  Brownlie  of  Port  Patrick.  In 
Hymns  of  the  Greek  Church  (1900),  Hymns  of  the  Holy 
Eastern  Church  (1902),  Hymns  from  the  Greek  Office 
Books  (1904),  and  the  other  volumes  of  his  extending 
series  he  has  dealt  in  varying  fashion  with  a  large  body  of 
suggestive  material.  And  some  of  his  renderings  of  Greek 
Church  hymns  have  been  given  place  in  recent  Church  of 
England  hymnals. 

Greek  Hymnody  has  a  special  interest  to  that  party  in 
the  English  Church  which  turns  toward  the  Eastern 
Church  rather  than  to  Protestants  for  any  immediate  reali- 
zation of  church  unity.  But  the  barriers  separating  the 
Eastern  and  Western  mind  and  taste  are  conspicuous  in 


5o6  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Hymnody.  And  the  translating  of  a  Greek  hymn  for 
EngHsh  use  is  really  a  process  of  filtering  it  through  an 
English  mind.^^ 

4.   The  Emergence  of  "Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern" 
(1861) 

The  decade  following  the  publication  of  Neale's  Hymnal 
noted  was  one  of  marked  activity  in  Church  of  England 
Hymnody.  Almost  every  school  and  tendency  expressed 
itself  in  a  hymn  book,  but  as  a  whole  the  trend  was  in 
favor  of  the  high  church  party,  and  ended  in  their  ascend- 
ency. 

A  Selection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  arranged  for  the  public 
services  of  the  Church  of  England,  by  Charles  Kemble  of 
Bath  (London,  1853)  is  one  of  a  number  that  proceeded 
in  the  old-fashioned  ways,  as  though  nothing  had  happened. 
It  found  extensive  use,  and  was  modernized  in  1873,  but 
was  regarded  by  the  Oxford  party  as  unchurchly.^^ 

The  Evangelical  succession  had  been  duly  maintained  by 
such  earlier  books  as  Josiah  Pratt's  popular  "Collection"  of 
1829,  and  especially  Edward  Bickersteth's  Christian  Psalm- 
ody (1833:  revised,  1841),  the  representative  hymn  book 
of  those  putting  the  emphasis  on  Christian  experience.  It 
was  carried  forward  in  Edward  H.  Bickersteth's  Psalms 
and  Hymns,  based  on  the  Christian  Psalmody  of  his  father 
(1858),  which  in  turn  was  enlarged  to  become  the  best 
known  Evangelical  hymn  book  of  our  own  time. 

And  in  the  same  way  a  little  collection  of  Hymns  pub- 
lished in  1852  by  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Chris- 
tian Knowledge,  was  to  develop  by  successive  revisions 
(1855,  1863,  1869)  into  the  Church  Hymns  of  1871,  which 
gained  much  vogue  in  the  musical  edition  of  Sir  Arthur 
Sullivan  (1874),  and  which  in  its  last  revision  continues  to 
be  the  only  formidable  rival  of  Hymns  ancient  and  modern, 

^^Cf.  Moorsom,  op.  cit.,  p.  xx. 

"C/.  W.  H.  B.  Proby,  Annals  of  the  "Low-Church"  Party,  London, 
1888,  vol.  ii,  pp.  505-508. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  507 

representing  a  lower  type  of  sacramental  doctrine  and  a  less 
self-assertive  churchmanship. 

The  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  public  and  private  zvorship 
(1855)  of  Edward  Walker  of  Cheltenham,  whose  reprint- 
ings  extended  into  the  '80s,  filled  an  unique  function  in 
introducing  to  the  knowledge  and  use  of  the  Church  a  large 
number  of  hymns  by  a  group  of  men  who  had  recently 
assumed  the  distinctive  name  of  Plymouth  Brethren.  The 
peculiarities  of  their  faith  were  already  embodied  in  a  series 
of  hymn  books : — Hymns  for  the  use  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  by  R.  C.  Chapman  (1837),  A  Selection  of  Hymns 
by  Sir  Edward  Denny  (1839),  J.  N.  Wigram's  Hymns  for 
the  poor  of  the  Hock  (1838)  and  J.  G.  Deck's  Psalms  and 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  (1842).  To  these  all  four  of 
the  editors,  with  J.  N.  Darby  the  founder  of  the  sect,  con- 
tributed original  hymns,  of  which  other  worldliness  and  the 
all-sufficiency  of  the  Lamb  of  God  are  the  special  themes. 
Walker,  who  was  Deck's  brother-in-law,  printed  over  thirty 
of  his  hymns,  one  the  well-known  "O  Lamb  of  God,  still 
keep  me,"  and  twenty  of  Sir  Edward  Denny's,  including 
"What  grace,  O  Lord,  and  beauty  shone"  and  "Light  of  the 
lonely  pilgrim's  heart." 

The  interest  in  German  Hymnody  had  been  quickened 
by  the  good  work  done  in  Frances  E.  Cox's  Sacred  Hymns 
from  the  German  (1841)  and  Henry  J.  Buckoll's  Hymns 
translated  from  the  German  (1842).  This  found  expres- 
sion in  the  Psalms  and  Hymns,  partly  original,  partly 
selected  (Cambridge,  1851)  of  Arthur  T.  Russell,  in  which 
the  German  hymns  played  a  very  large  part,  the  Latin  a 
very  small  one;  the  very  arrangement  of  the  hymns  being 
based  on  old  Lutheran  hymn  books.  In  1854  appeared 
Richard  Massie's  Martin  Luther's  Spiritual  Songs,  and  the 
first  of  four  parts  (1854-1862)  of  Hymns  from  the  Land 
of  Luther  by  Jane  Borthwick  and  her  sister  Sarah  Find- 
later.  In  1855  and  1858  Catherine  Winkworth  published 
the  first  and  second  series  of  her  Lyra  Geniianica,  and  was 
to  follow  them  in  1863  with  The  Chorale  Book  for  England. 


5o8  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

The  work  of  this  group  of  translators,  and  notably  of  Miss 
Winkworth,  has  secured  a  firm  place  in  English  hymn  books 
for  a  number  of  German  hymns. 

German  hymns  and  chorals  had  a  part  in  the  Church 
Psalter  and  Hymn  Book  of  William  Mercer  of  Sheffield 
(1854).  Much  interest  in  its  preparation  was  taken  by 
James  Montgomery,  in  his  last  years  an  attendant  of  Mer- 
cer's church.  This  was  the  most  successful  of  all  the  books 
of  the  decade,  from  the  standpoint  of  actual  use;  partly 
because  it  contained  the  prose  Psalter  set  for  chanting  and 
the  tunes  of  the  hymns  edited  by  Sir  John  Goss.  It  was 
used  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  until  1871,  ten  years  after  the 
publication  of  Hymns  ancient  and  modern.^'^  This  book 
represents  one  of  the  characteristic  movements  of  the  dec- 
ade; a  desire  to  get  the  Hymnody  back  into  the  people's 
hands  and  make  it  congregational.  This  grew  partly  out  of 
observation  of  the  hearty  congregational  song  of  dissenting 
churches;  that  of  Dr.  Allon's  in  London  attracting  wide 
attention.  It  was  favored  also  by  the  disposition  to  open  the 
naves  of  cathedrals  for  popular  services,  a  project  effected 
at  St.  Paul's  in  1858.^^  The  success  of  congregational  sing- 
ing of  the  better  type  required  a  return  to  the  Reformation 
practice  of  including  the  tunes,  as  well  as  words,  in  the 
people's  hymn  books.  This  seems  to  have  been  first  done  in 
W.  J.  Blew's  Church  Hymn  and  Tune  Book  of  1852.  But 
his  book  was  impracticable.  In  Mercer's  book  of  1854  it 
vj2iS  done  effectively,  and  though  not  immediately  followed, 
it  set  the  permanent  standard,  and  marks  the  transition  to 
the  modern  type  of  Church  of  England  hymnal.  Godfrey 
Thring's  Church  of  England  Hymn  Book  of  1880  was  the 
last  one  of  any  note  to  appear  without  music,  although 
word  editions  of  the  others  are  generally  furnished. 

The  extreme  devotion  to  the  Latin  Church  Hymnody  ex- 
emplified in  Dr.  Neale,  was  also  embodied  during  the  decade 
by  William  J.  Blew  in  his  Church  Hymn  and  Tune  Book 

-'Bumpus,  English  Cathedral  Music,  London,  n.  d.,  vol.  ii,  p.  513. 
^'Bumpus,  ut  supra. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  509 

(1852)  just  referred  to.  He  thus  greatly  enriched  the  store 
of  versions  of  Latin  hymns  without  appreciably  affecting 
the  actual  situation. 

The  key  to  the  actual  future  of  the  Church  Hymnody  was 
held  by  a  group  of  men  of  Tractarian  beliefs  and  practices, 
who  shared  Neale's  and  Blew's  sense  of  the  unique  position 
of  the  hymns  of  the  ancient  and  undivided  Church,  but  who 
at  the  same  time  realized  that  many  modern  hymns,  includ- 
ing some  by  dissenters,  were  dear  to  the  people  and  spirit- 
ually effective;  and  that  a  selection  could  be  made  of  such  as 
might  be  used  without  any  real  violation  of  liturgical  pro- 
priety. 

In  such  a  spirit  G.  Cosby  White  published  in  1852  his 
Hymns  and  Introits,  F.  H.  Murray  in  the  same  year  A 
Hymnal  for  use  in  the  English  Church  (Mozley),  as  also 
Cooke  and  Denton  their  Church  Hymnal  (London:  J. 
Whitaker).  They  were  followed  by  Keble's  and  Earl  Nel- 
son's Salisbury  Hymn  Book  of  1857.  These  were  all  men 
in  thorough  sympathy  with  the  development  of  church  ideals 
and  practices  that  had  now  proceeded  for  a  generation,  and 
most  anxious  for  the  adequate  expression  of  these  ideals 
in  a  popular  Church  Hymnody,  for  which  the  materials 
were  now  at  hand  in  abundant  measure.  But  while  at  one 
in  opinion  and  judgment,  they  were  in  fact  competitors  for 
the  adoption  of  their  several  books.  Each  book  prevented 
the  success  of  the  other  in  their  own  circle,  and  no  one  could 
force  its  way  into  the  majority  of  parishes,  which  adhered 
to  books  representing  a  lower  type  of  churchmanship. 

The  way  out  was  found  by  the  Rev.  Francis  H.  Murray, 
a  Kentish  rector.  Through  the  Rev.  Sir  Henry  Williams 
Baker,  he  secured  an  agreement  with  the  proprietors  of 
competing  hymn  books  that  he  and  they  should  withdraw 
their  respective  books,  and  join  in  the  preparation  of  a 
common  collection  of  "Hymns  ancient  and  modern" ;  and 
through  advertising  in  The  Guardian,  he  secured  the  prom- 
ise of  200  clergymen  to  co-operate.  The  Committee  began 
work  in   1859;  and  in   1861    issued  Hymns  ancient  and 


5IO  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

modern  for  use  in  the  services  of  the  Church:  with  accom- 
panying tunes  compiled  and  arranged  by  William  Henry 
Monk  (London:  Novello  and  Co.),  containing  273  hymns, 
with  accompanying  tunes,  with  provision  for  days  of  the 
week,  feasts,  fasts  and  services  of  the  Prayer  Book,  occa- 
sions and  saints  days,  including  the  Annunciation  and 
Purification  of  "the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,"  and  a  group 
of  6y  "General  Hymns."  There  were  132  versions  of 
Latin  hymns,  mostly  altered,  10  of  German  hymns,  12 
original  hymns,  and  119  English  hymns  already  in  use.^^ 

The  success  of  this  book  has  had  no  parallel,  except  in  the 
case  of  Dr.  Watts  and  of  the  Wesleyan  Hymnody.  Like 
these  earlier  instances  its  influence  went  far  beyond  the 
sphere  of  Hymnody.  It  became  an  effective  means,  in  the 
hands  of  the  people  who  used  it,  for  spreading  broadcast  not 
only  high  church  views  and  practices  but  the  high  church 
atmosphere.  But  in  Hymnody  its  part  in  establishing,  as  it 
did,  the  type  and  tone  of  the  representative  Church  of  Eng- 
land Hymnody,  and  its  influence  on  the  Hymnody  of  other 
denominations,  entitle  its  publication  to  rank  as  one  of  the 
great  events  in  the  history  of  the  Hymnody  of  the  English- 
speaking  Churches. 

In  its  immediate  reception  hostility  of  course  mingled 
with  appreciation,^*'  and  there  are  reminiscences  of  serious 
disturbances  ensuing  upon  attempts  to  introduce  it.  But 
there  must  have  been  a  large  body  of  clergy  already  pre- 
pared to  welcome  it;  for  in  the  first  three  years  its  sales 
reached  350,000.  Then  came  the  Appendix  of  1868,  the 
revised  edition  of  1875,  the  complete  edition  of  1889,  and 
the  recent  revision  of  1904.  An  official  inquiry,  made  about 
1895,  showed  that  in  13,639  churches  no  less  than  10,340 
used  Hymns  ancient  and  modern.     At  the  same  date  the 

""For  the  full  history  and  contents  of  Hymns  ancient  and  modern, 
see  the  "Historical  Edition"    (London,   1909)- 

^E.  g.  Edw.  Harper's  Strictures  on  Hymns  ancient  and  modern  and 
on  the  Appendix  to  that  work  (London,  n.  d.,  3  editions)  aimed  to 
disclose  its  "treason  to  the  Church  of   England." 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  511 

book  was  used  in  28  cathedrals,  almost  universally  in  the 
Scottish  Episcopal  churches,  and  universally  throughout  the 
Army  and  Navy.  These  facts  prepare  us  to  accept  the  state- 
ment that  its  circulation  by  the  end  of  1912  reached  the 
amazing  total  of  more  than  60,000,000  copies.  The  further 
growth  of  this  circulation  has  been  affected,  temporarily  at 
least,  by  a  refusal  of  the  churches  to  accept  the  last  revision, 
on  the  ground  mainly  of  omissions  or  alterations  of  familiar 
hymns  and  tunes  and  a  superfluity  of  chorals  and  plain 
song.^^ 

If  we  seek  the  cause  of  this  success,  it  appears  that  it 
was  partly  predetermined.  The  ideal  of  a  "Catholic"  wor- 
ship involved  a  liturgical  Hymnody.  This  had  been  already 
provided  by  many  books.  But  it  involved  also  the  ideal  of 
uniformity,  and  in  its  interests  a  number  of  the  accustomed 
books  had  been  withdrawn,  and  those  using  them  com- 
mitted to  the  new  book.  And  the  book  itself  answered  the 
demands  of  the  moderate  High  Churchmen :  viz.,  that  the 
daily  and  Sunday  and  sacramental  and  saints'  day  services 
should  be  covered  by  the  appropriate  ancient  hymns,  and 
that  a  body  of  modern  hymns  should  be  provided  for  general 
use.  And  with  the  principle  of  growth  recognized  by  suc- 
cessive revisions,  the  book  continued  to  satisfy  them.  The 
opposition  made  to  the  book  brought  it  to  the  universal 
attention  of  the  laity,  to  many  of  whom  the  ideal  of  ancient 
hymns  was  thus  first  practically  presented,  and  they  in 
increasing  numbers  responded  to  it. 

It  is  true  that  Hymns  ancient  and  modern  never  became 
the  hymnal  of  the  entire  Church  of  England.  But  it  laid 
down  the  lines  of  Hymnody  for  the  whole  Church,  on  which 
even  the  hymnals  of  the  Evangelical  party  have  been  content 
to  advance.  Of  these  the  most  distinguished  by  far  is  The 
Hymnal    Companion    to    the    Book    of    Common    Prayer 

"To  meet  the  flood  of  objections  the  compilers  issued  a  defence, 
The  new  Edition  of  Hymns  ancient  and  modern:  a  survey  of  the 
reviews;  printed  separately  the  tunes  omitted  from  the  new  edition, 
and  reprinted  the  old  edition  for  those  preferring  it. 


512  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

(1870)  edited  by  Bishop  Bickersteth,  on  the  plan  of  seeking 
the  hymns  approved  by  most  general  use,  to  take  the  place 
of  his  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  1858.  Its  form  and  method 
and  its  tunes,  to  say  the  least,  especially  in  the  revisions 
of  1876  and  1890,  owe  much  to  Hymns  ancient  and  modern. 
Somewhat  akin  is  the  only  important  collection  of  the 
Church  of  Ireland,  The  Church  Hymnal  of  1864,  enlarged 
and  authorized  in  1873  and  supplemented  in  1891.  Notable 
for  its  hymns  and  music,  the  work  of  Major  G.  A.  Craw- 
ford for  its  indexes  of  writers  and  composers  was  the  best 
of  the  kind  that  had  been  done. 

In  the  Church  of  England  in  Canada  Hymns  ancient  and 
modern  found  a  constantly  growing  acceptance.  A  Church 
Hymn  Book  published  under  the  sanction  of  the  Lord 
Bishop  of  Toronto  (Toronto,  1862;  3rd  ed.,  1863)  and 
Church  Hymnal.  Compiled  and  arranged  by  a  committee 
appointed  by  the  Bishop  of  Montreal  (Montreal,  1875), 
were  of  a  lower  sacramental  tone,  and  with  other  books 
found  considerable  use ;  but  by  the  end  of  the  XlXth  century 
Hymns  ancient  and  modern  was  reported  as  in  use  by  some 
seventy-five  per  cent  of  the  parishes.^-  It  may  be  added 
here,  for  the  sake  of  completing  the  record,  that  the  vogue 
of  the  English  book  has  been  brought  to  an  end  by  the 
desire  of  the  Canadian  Church  for  consolidation  and  auton- 
omy. The  Synod  of  1908  adopted  and  authorized  a  hymnal 
prepared  by  its  committee  of  1905;  published  as  The  Book 
of  Common  Praise  being  the  Hymn  Book  of  the  Church 
of  England  in  Canada  .  .  .  The  music  edited  by  Sir  George 
C.  Martin  (Oxford:  the  University  Press,  1909)  ;  and  put 
its  parishes  in  possession  of  a  book  hardly -excelled  in  the 
care  of  its  preparation  and  its  fitness  for  service.^^ 

^'Canadian  Correspondence  in  The  Churchman  (N.  Y.)  for  October 
10,  1908. 

^'The  prefatory  matter  contains  a  full  account  of  its  genesis.  A 
special  interest  of  the  book  is  its  principle  of  "inclusiveness"  of  vary- 
ing party  views.  See  also  the  excellent  Annotated  Edition  (Frowde, 
1909)  by  James  Edmund  Jones,  a  leader  in  the  movement  for  a 
Canadian  Church  Hymnal. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  513 

Within  Church  Hmits  the  hymn  book  remaining  most 
independent  of  Oxford  influences,  carrying  forward  the 
traditions  of  Madan  and  Toplady,  was  Charles  B.  Snepp's 
Songs  of  Grace  and  Glory  (London:  Hunt  and  Co.,  1872). 
The  hymns  were  in  three  divisions, — The  Trinity,  the  Book 
and  Church  of  God,  and  Man;  and  the  type  of  theology  is 
that  embodied  in  Miss  Havergal's  well  known  hymns,  most 
of  which  are  in  it.  Musically  the  book  stood  for  the  ideals 
of  her  father's  Old  Church  Psalmody  (1847),  ^^om  which 
she  prepared  Havergal's  Psalmody  and  Century  of  Chants 
(London,  1871)  as  a  companion  to  Songs  of  Grace  and 
Glory.  The  Royal  Hymnal  (London:  Marlborough,  n.  d.) 
represents  the  party  who  carried  their  protest  against  Hymns 
ancient  and  modern  and  all  it  represents  to  the  point  of 
dissent,  and  is  the  authorized  hymnal  of  the  Reformed 
Episcopal  Church.  It  is  of  the  "favorite  Hymn"  order, 
professing  to  be  gathered  by  plebiscite  of  those  concerned. 
Its  difference  from  the  Anglican  books  was  intensified  by 
the  refusal  of  their  proprietors  to  allow  the  insertion  of 
their  copyrighted  material. 

It  was  open  to  any  one  in  the  Church  of  England  to 
supply  any  deficiencies  of  Hymns  ancient  and  modern,  and 
its  various  editions  were  followed  by  a  line  of  "supple- 
ments," "appendixes,"  and  "supplemental  tune  books"  for 
parochial  use,  as  well  as  by  numerous  independent  collec- 
tions, of  which  The  Parish  Hymn  Book  (1863),  Alford's 
Year  of  Praise  (1867),  The  Temple  Church  Hymn  Book 
(1867),  Earl  Nelson's  Sarum  Hymnal  (1868),  The  Angli- 
can Hymn  Book  (1868),  Monsell's  The  Parish  Hymnal 
(1873),  Common  Praise  (1879),  The  Office  Hymn  Book 
(1889),  Darling's  Hymns  for  the  Church  of  England 
(1889),  and  some  others  are  remembered,  if  at  all,  for  the 
sake  of  their  contribution  of  some  hymn  or  tune  to  the 
common  stock. 

Hymns  ancient  and  modern  became  also  something  like 
a  point  of  departure  in  constructing  hymn  books  for  the 
more    extreme   high    church   and    ritualistic   parties,    with 


514  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

constantly  advancing  standards  of  doctrine  and  ceremonial. 
The  People's  Hymnal  (1867)  was  prepared  by  Dr.  R.  F. 
Littledale  and  J.  E.  Vaux  to  furnish  high  sacramental 
hymns  and  to  give  emotional  hymns  combined  with  the 
more  sober  ancient  ones  for  singing  by  the  people.  Dr. 
Neale's  coadjutor,  Benjamin  Webb,  with  Canon  W.  Cooke, 
brought  out  The  Hymnary:  a  book  of  Church  Song  (1870, 
1872)  ;  the  most  complete  manual  of  High  Anglican  Hym- 
nody,  in  its  provision  for  hour  and  day,  times,  seasons  and 
occasions,  with  a  view  to  daily  "celebrations."  There  is 
great  use  of  Latin  hymns,  much  new  material  and  alteration 
of  the  old,  and  an  ecclesiastical  if  not  monastic  atmosphere 
remote  from  actual  life.  Its  musical  editor.  Sir  Joseph 
Barnby,  gave  it  such  importance  as  a  source-book  of  tunes, 
that  it  is  generally  known  as  "Barnby's  Hymnary."  Of  the 
h3'mn  books  providing  for  a  worship  centering  in  the  Real 
Presence  upon  the  altar  The  Eucharistic  Hymnal  (1877) 
has  the  most  original  material;  but  far  the  most  elaborate 
is  The  Altar  Hymnal  (1884)  prepared  mainly  by  Miss 
Claudia  F.  Hernaman,  a  hymn  writer  and  editor  of  several 
children's  hymnals.  It  contains  full  materials  for  the  choral 
celebration  of  the  mass  according  to  the  "Sarum  Use," 
with  the  hymns  "proper  of  season"  and  "common." 

5.    The  Anglican  Hymnody  and  Church  Music 

Verse  writing  was  as  characteristic  of  the  Tractarian 
propaganda  as  it  had  been  of  the  Wesleyan,  and  the  talent 
for  it  much  more  widely  diffused.  Keble's  The  Christian 
Year  ushered  in  the  Movement,  and  the  series  of  poems, 
contributed  to  The  British  Magazine  by  Newman,  Keble, 
Froude  and  others,  and  reprinted  as  Lyra  Apostolica  (1833) 
was  contemporaneous  with  Tracts  for  the  times.  Bishop 
Msiat' s  H olydays  of  the  Church  (1828-31)  was  even  earlier, 
and  Isaac  Williams  published  The  Cathedral  in  1838,  The 
Baptistery  in  1842  and  The  Altar  in  1847.  I^  1846  Keble 
followed  up  The  Christian  Year  with  Lyra  Innocentium. 

The   motive  of   this   earlier   verse   writing  was   not   to 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  515 

enrich  worship,  but  with  a  view  of  "recalHng  or  recommend- 
ing .  .  .  important  Christian  truths  ...  in  a  way  to  be 
forgotten."  ^■^  And  so  long  as  the  Latin  hymns  kept  their 
glamor,  original  hymn  writing  was  held  subsidiary  to  the 
work  of  translating  them.  Nevertheless  the  new  enthusi- 
asm and  ideals  of  worship  called  for  new  and  appropriate 
hymns,  and  the  editors  of  hymn  books  and  others  set  them- 
selves at  an  early  date  to  meet  the  demand.  The  hymns  of 
Joseph  Anstice  were  published  posthumously  in  1836, 
Bishop  Mant's  in  1837,  the  first  of  J.  S.  B.  Monsell's  many 
volumes  in  1837,  Williams'  Hymns  on  the  Catechism  in 
1842,  William  J.  Blew's  in  his  hymn  book  of  1852,  and 
Henry  Collins'  Hymns  for  Missions  in  1854. 

The  Oxford  hymn  writing  thus  (naturally)  preceded 
the  publication  of  Hymns  ancient  and  modern,  and  it  would 
be  unjust  to  claim  that  the  successive  editions  of  that  book 
became  the  medium  for  the  publication  of  Anglican  hymns 
in  the  way  the  Gospel  Magadne  had  served  for  the  publi- 
cation of  the  early  Evangelical  hymns.  It  did  not  become 
even  an  anthology  of  the  new  Hymnody.  It  is  true  none 
the  less  that  every  important  name  among  Anglican  hymn' 
writers  is  represented  in  one  or  other  edition  of  Hymns 
ancient  and  modern,^^  that  it  was  the  means  of  introducing 
these  men  to  the  church  at  large,  and  that  it  still  affords 
the  most  convenient  approach  to  a  numbering  of  the  new 
Anglican  school  of  hymn  writers. 

The  largest  contributor  to  the  first  edition  of  Hymns 
ancient  and  modern  (1861)  was  its  editor,  Sir  Henry  Wil- 
liams Baker,  but  his  "The  King  of  Love  my  Shepherd  is" 
did  not  appear  till  1868.  Of  the  Oxford  school  (apart 
from  translations)  Keble  had  eight  pieces,  Neale  four, 
Henry  Collins  two  ("Jesu,  meek  and  lowly"  and  "Jesu, 
my  Lord,  my  God,  my  All"),  Joseph  Anstice  two  (includ- 
ing "O  Lord,  how  happy  should  we  be"),  Emma  Toke 

''Preface  to  Lyra  Apostolica. 

''^William  J.  Blew,  R.  R.  Chope,  and  Greville  Phillimore  are  possible 
exceptions. 


5i6  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

two  ("Glory  to  Thee,  O  Lord"  and  "Thou  hast  gone  up 
on  high");  and  the  following  one  each: — Cecil  F.  Alex- 
ander ("The  roseate  hues  of  early  dawn"),  R.  M.  Benson, 
Edward  Churton,  W.  Chatterton  Dix  ("As  with  gladness 
men  of  old"),  Henry  Downton,  John  H.  Gurney  ("Lord, 
as  to  Thy  dear  cross  we  flee),  W.  Walsham  How,  Bishop 
Mant,  J.  E.  Millard,  Edward  Osier,  George  R.  Prynne, 
William  J.  Irons,  G.  H.  Smyttan,  William  Whiting  ("Eter- 
nal Father,  strong  to  save"),  Gilbert  Rorison,  W.  B. 
Heathcote  and  Thomas  Whytehead. 

Of  this  group  Keble  is  generally  regarded  as  the  founder 
of  Anglican  Hymnody,  and  Neale  is  important  even  apart 
from  his  translations;  Mrs.  Alexander  attained  something 
like  fame  as  a  writer  for  children;  Chatterton  Dix  reached 
high  distinction,  as  did  Bishop  How  both  as  writer  and  co- 
editor  of  the  S.  P.  C.  K.  hymnals;  and  most  of  the  others 
wrote  hymns  still  in  use. 

The  new  contributors  to  the  1868  Appendix  were  Sabine 
Baring  Gould  ("Now  the  day  is  over")  whose  picturesque 
"Onward,  Christian  soldiers"  was  also  included;  Henry 
Twells  ("At  even,  ere  the  sun  was  set"),  Lawrence  Tuttiett 
("O  quickly  come,  dread  Judge  of  all"),  Mrs.  Eliza  S. 
Alderson,  J.  J.  Daniel,  William  Bright,  and  V.  S.  C.  Coles. 
Of  Anglican  writers  whom  it  brought  into  wider  use  were 
Christopher  Wordsworth  ("O  day  of  rest  and  gladness"), 
whose  The  Holy  Year  (1862),  only  a  year  later  than 
Hymns  ancient  and  modern,  has  an  important  place,  not  as 
a  hymn  book  and  not  only  for  its  original  hymns,  but  for 
the  influence  of  its  preface,  insisting  on  the  conformity  of 
hymns  to  Scripture,  and  urging  that  liturgical  restraint 
should  exclude  the  "I"  hymns  in  favor  of  the  "we"  of  a 
corporate  body;  Samuel  J.  Stone  ("The  Church's  one 
Foundation,"  a  masterpiece  of  didactic  Hymnody,  and 
"Weary  of  earth  and  laden  with  my  sin,"  transcending 
"liturgical"  Hmits) ;  E.  H.  Plumptre  ("O  Light,  whose 
beams  illumine  all,"  and  "Thine  arm,  O  Lord,  in  days  of 
old")  ;  John  Ellerton  ("Saviour,  again  to  Thy  dear  Name 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  5i7 

we  raise"  and  "This  is  the  day  of  Hght"),  more  intimately 
associated  with  the  S.  P.  C.  K.  Church  Hymns,  and  possibly 
the  best  of  the  Liturgical  hymn  writers  ;^'^^  Godfrey  Thrmg 
("Saviour,  blessed  Saviour,"  "Fierce  raged  the  tempest  o'er 
the  deep,"  "The  radiant  morn  hath  passed  away"),  Mary 
F.  Maude  ("Thine  for  ever,  God  of  love"),  and  Lewis 
Hensley  ("Thy  kingdom  come,  O  God").  The  inclusion 
of  Newman's  "Lead,  kindly  Light"  set  to  music  by  Dr. 
Dykes,  was  an  event  in  itself. 

Of  the  writers  of  hymns  added  in  the  1875  edition  of 
Hytnns  ancient  and  modern,  William  D.  Maclagan  ("Lord, 
when  Thy  Kingdom  comes,  remember  me")  is  best  known; 
but  the  hymns  most  widely  copied  are  J.  E.  Bode's  "O  Jesu, 
I  have  promised,"  Caroline  M.  Noel's  "At  the  Name  of 
Jesus,"  L  Gregory  Smith's  "By  Jesus'  grave  on  either 
hand,"  George  S.  Hodge's  "Hosanna  we  sing,  like  the 
children  dear,"  Archer  T.  Gurney's  "Christ  is  risen;  Christ 
is  risen,"  and  W.  St.  H.  Bourne's  "The  sower  went  forth 
sowing."  A  group  of  men  better  known  as  translators 
were  represented  by  original  hymns,— John  Chandler,  J.  W. 
Hewett,  A.  W.  Chatfield,  Gerard  MouUrie,  James  R.  Wood- 
ford, and  D.  T.  Morgan.  A  department  of  Metrical 
Litanies  by  R.  F.  Littledale,  Thomas  B.  Pollock,  and  the 
editors,  was  added  in  this  edition.  It  gave  currency  to  a 
type  of  hymn,  then  comparatively  new,  which  best  fulfills 
the  definition  of  a  hymn  as  Liturgical  Verse,  and  has  re- 
sulted in  the  general  acceptance  of  the  new  type. 

The  "Supplemental  Hymns"  of  1889  gave  recognition  as 
hymn  writers  to  Archbishop  Benson,  Dean  Hole,  John 
Julian,  F.  W.  Farrar,  F.  T.  Palgrave  and  the  picturesque 
R.  S.  Hawker;  and  for  the  first  time  included  hymns  by 
the  veterans,  J.  S.  B.  Monsell  ("Fight  the  good  fight") 
and  Edward  Harland.  It  gave  status  to  Dorothy  Blom- 
field's  Wedding  Hymn,  "O  perfect  Love,  all  human  thought 
transcending,"  and  confirmed  that  of  E.  A.  Dayman's  "The 

*Tor  EUerton's  hymns  and  the  history  of  Church  Hymns,  see  H. 
Housman,  John  Ellerton,  S.  P.  C.  K.,  1896. 


5i8  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Lord  be  with  us  when  we  sail,"  and  Francis  Potts'  "Angel- 
voices,  ever  singing."  Of  the  contributors  or  newer  hymn 
writers  Arthur  J.  Mason  and  Claudia  F.  Hernaman  belong 
with  the  extreme  school  of  Anglicanism;  Jackson  Mason 
shows  most  vigor  as  a  translator;  while  W.  H.  Turton's 
"Thou,  Who  at  Thy  first  Eucharist  didst  pray"  has  become 
a  favorite  hymn  of  sacramental  unity. 

It  is  only  by  such  particularizing  that  one  gains  any  real 
sense  of  the  extent  and  importance  of  the  contribution  of 
the  Oxford  school  to  English  Hymnody,  and  of  the  ele- 
ments it  has  infused  into  the  English  Hymn;  and  inci- 
dentally of  the  quite  unparalleled  part  which  Hymns  ancient 
and  modern  has  played  in  the  development  of  modern 
Hymnody.  In  appraising  this  influence  we  must  add  also 
its  share  in  acclimating  the  Latin,  Greek  and  German  hymns 
and  in  making  accessible  the  work  of  the  group  of  men 
who,  like  Newman,  left  the  English  Church  for  the  Roman, 
such  as  F.  W.  Faber,  Edward  Caswall,  E.  Oakeley,  Henry 
Collins  and  M.  Brydges. 

To  the  Hymnody  of  Christian  Experience  as  carried 
forward  by  the  Evangelical  school  within  the  Church  of 
England  during  the  period  under  review  Hymns  ancient 
and  modern  was  inevitably  less  hospitable;  although  its 
inclusions  of  Charlotte  Elliott,  Dean  Alford,  Bishop 
Bickersteth  and  Miss  Havergal,  gave  to  the  great  body  of 
the  Church  its  only  knowledge  of  their  hymns. 

These  four  are  the  outstanding  names  of  the  Evangelical 
school.  Henry  Alford  published  hymns  in  The  Christian 
Observer  as  early  as  1830;  printed  "In  token  that  thou  shalt 
not  fear"  in  The  British  Magazine  in  1832;  his  Harvest 
Hymn,  "Come,  ye  thankful  people,  come"  in  his  Psalms 
and  Hymns  (1844)  for  Wymeswold;  and  many  more  in 
his  The  Year  of  Praise  (1867)  for  Canterbury  Cathedral. 
Though  not  sacramentarian,  his  views  and  hymns  were 
distinctively  liturgical.  Hugh  Stowell  of  Manchester  con- 
tributed many  hymns  to  his  Selection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns 
(1831)    in    its    numerous    editions,    and   his    son,    Canon 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  519 

Thomas  A.  Stowell,  carried  forward  both  the  Selection  and 
the  hymn  writing.  Charlotte  Elhott  printed  hymns  in 
The  Invalid's  Hymn  Book,  in  her  brother's  somewhat  im- 
portant Psalms  and  Hymns  for  public,  private  and  social 
zvorship  (1835)  and  in  later  volumes  of  her  own  work.  She 
was  the  typical  Evangelical,  with  the  devoutness  and  plain- 
tive note  of  Anne  Steele  and  a  better  style.  Her  ministry 
in  the  sick  room  is  beyond  estimate :  her  best  known  hymns 
are  the  three  in  Hymns  ancient  and  modern : — "Just  as  I 
am,"  "My  God  and  Father,  while  I  stray,"  "Christian, 
seek  not  yet  repose."  Julia  Ann  Marshall's  (who  married 
H.  V.  ElHott)  Poems  on  sacred  subjects  (1832)  is  remem- 
bered by  her  "Great  Creator,  who  this  day."  Miss  Anna  L. 
Waring's  Hymns  and  Meditations  (1854,  1863)  share  the 
method  and  beauty  of  Miss  Elliott's  work. 

Bishop  John  Charles  Ryle  became  the  leader  of  the 
Evangelicals,  though  his  Spiritual  Songs  (nth  ed.  i860), 
The  additional  Hymn  Book  (1875),  and  Hymns  for  the 
Church  on  Earth  (i860),  had  only  a  minor  importance  in 
its  song.  But  the  great  task  of  furnishing  an  adequate 
hymn  book  fell  to  Bishop  Bickersteth.  His  Hymnal  Com- 
panion, already  referred  to,  practically  superseded  all  other 
Evangelical  books  and  by  1893  was  used  in  1478  churches.^ ^ 
His  hymns  of  sentiment  are  represented  by  "Peace,  perfect 
peace,"  and  "Till  He  come !  O  let  the  word."  To  this  time 
belongs  Frances  Ridley  Havergal,  the  most  voluminous, 
most  diffuse  and  best  loved  of  the  Evangelical  school, 
whose  hymns  were  gathered  into  volumes  ranging  from 
1869  to  1883.  Her  "I  gave  My  Hfe  for  thee,"  "Take  my 
life,  and  let  it  be"  and  "Lord,  speak  to  me  that  I  may 
speak,"  reveal  her  supreme  devotion  to  the  spiritual  life; 
"Golden  harps  are  sounding"  is  her  nearest  approach  to 
the  Liturgical  Hymn. 

William  Penne father  furnished  Hymns  original  and 
selected,  by  VV.  P.    (1872)    for  his  Mildmay  Conference, 

^'G.  R.  Balleine,  A  History  of  the  Evangelical  Party,  London,  1908, 
p.  282. 


520  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

and  quite  a  Keswick  school  of  hymn  writers  is  represented 
in  J.  Mountain's  Hymns  of  Consecration  and  Faith  (n.  d. 
c.  1876)  ;  many  of  them  followers  of  Miss  Havergal  or  of 
the  "Gospel  Song"  model.  Some  of  the  hymns  of  Bishop 
H.  C.  G.  Moule,  included  in  his  prose  books  of  devotion, 
are  also  favorites  of  the  Keswick  Convention.  The  hymns 
of  Charles  D.  Bell,  often  of  considerable  beauty,  have  not 
gone  much  beyond  his  Appendix  to  Walker's  Psalms  and 
Hymns  (1873)  ^^d  that  to  the  Hymnal  Companion  (1884), 
his  Hymns  for  the  Church  and  Chamber  (1882),  and  his 
comely  Church  of  England  Hymnal  (1895).  The  hymns 
of  W.  M.  H.  Aitken  are  mainly  connected  with  the  recent 
evangelistic  movement  in  the  Church  of  England  and  found 
in  the  mission  hymn  books. ^^  It  may  be  that  in  course  of 
time  they  will  be  regarded  as  indicating  a  development  of 
Church  of  England  Hymnody  as  notable  as  that  effected  by 
the  Anglicans. 

The  Anglican  Hymnody  as  presented  in  Hymns  ancient 
and  modern  could  not  have  won  the  acceptance  it  did  apart 
from  the  music  with  which  it  was  associated;  for  a  hymn 
has  no  mission  until  an  acceptable  musical  setting  is  found. 
This  finds  illustration  in  Newman's  "Lead,  kindly  Light," 
which  was  written  in  1833,  but  whose  popularity  began 
only  when  Dykes'  "Lux  Benigna"  was  set  to  it  in  the 
Appendix  of  1868;  a  fact  of  which  the  Cardinal  was  well 
aware.^^ 

In  the  years  preceding  Hymns  ancient  and  modern  much 
had  been  done  for  Congregational  Song.  Henry  Parr  in 
his  Church  of  England  Psalmody  (1847)  investigated  and 
recovered  the  older  English  psalm  tunes,  and  W.  H.  Haver- 
gal in  his  Old  Church  Psalmody  (1847)  ^^^  Dr.  Maurice 
in  his  Choral  Harmony  (1854)  introduced  many  of  the 
German  chorals.  The  "Society  for  promoting  Church 
Music"  dealt  especially  with  the  choir  parts  of  the  service, 

'Tor  these  see  his  article  in  Julian's  Dictionary,  2nd  suppl.,  p.  1672. 
'*J.  T.  Fowler,  Life  and  Letters  of  John  Bacchus  Dykes,  London, 
1897,  p.  104. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  521 

with  some  interest  in  the  movement  to  set  plain  song  melo- 
dies to  Latin  hymns  which  culminated  in  Helmore's  Accom- 
panying Harmonics  to  the  Hymnal  noted  (1852-58).  But 
its  periodical,  The  Parish  Choir,  held  aloof  from  congre- 
gational hymn  singing,  because  of  the  conflicting  opinions 
involved  and  its  own  question  of  the  legality  of  the  prac- 
tice.**^ Eventually  it  fell  in  with  the  current  movement 
and  published  a  collection  of  hymn  and  psalm  tunes. 

The  older  leaders,  Goss,  Elvey,  S.  S.  Wesley  and  others, 
based  their  own  composition  upon  the  solid  psalm  tunes, 
but  a  newer  type  of  hymn  tune,  based  on  the  secular  part- 
song  of  the  period,  came  to  the  fore  in  thirteen  tunes  con- 
tributed to  John  Grey's  Hymnal  (1857)  by  John  B.  Dykes, 
precentor  of  Durham  cathedral.  Hearing  of  the  proposed 
Hymns  ancient  and  modern,  Dykes  sent  seven  tunes  in- 
cluding "Horbury,"  "Melita"  and  "Hollingside,"  which 
were  accepted  by  its  musical  editor,  William  H.  Monk;*^ 
and  from  first  to  last  fifty-five  of  his  tunes  were  included 
in  the  book.*^  These  tunes,  with  Monk's  own  rich  contri- 
butions and  those  of  Elvey,  Gauntlett,  Redhead,  Reinagle 
and  others,  with  Monk's  choice  and  arrangement  of  ancient 
melodies  and  psalm  tunes,  crystallized  the  musical  tendencies 
of  the  time  into  a  definite  form  of  Anglican  hymn  tune, 
with  restrained  melodies  and  close  harmonies  wonderfully 
adapted  to  liturgical  worship,  and  yet  appealing  to  the  taste 
of  the  people.  These  tunes  constituted  the  immediate  appeal 
of  the  book  not  only  within  but  beyond  the  bounds  of  the 
Church.  Into  the  choir  lofts  of  a  great  many  dissenting 
churches  it  was  introduced  simply  as  a  tunebook,  from 
which  to  render  their  own  hymns,  but  in  many  homes  the 
hymns  to  which  they  were  set  also  became  familiar.  The 
hymns  as  well  as  the  tunes  of  the  Anglican  school  soon 
began  to  find  their  way  into  the  books  of  the  dissenting 
Churches  and  the  Church  of  Scotland.   And,  largely  through 

*'The  Parish  Choir,  Oct.  1847,  p.  21. 
"Fowler,  p.  71. 
"Ibid.,  p.  321. 


522  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

the  medium  of  Hymns  ancient  and  modern,  the  Oxford 
Movement  has  become  one  of  the  marked  factors  in  giving 
its  present  form  and  manner  and  contents  to  the  Hymnody 
and  the  hymn  books  of  these  Churches,  and  of  those  across 
the  sea, 

II 

OXFORD  INFLUENCES  ON  THE  HYMNODY  OF 
ENGLISH  DISSENT 

I.     Liturgical  Ideals  in  Congregationalist  and 
Baptist  Worship  (1861-1900) 

Even  from  the  musical  side  it  would  be  difficult  to 
measure  with  actual  precision  the  influence  of  the  Oxford 
Movement  upon  the  dissenting  Churches  of  England.  We 
must  remember  that  Hymns  ancient  and  modern  itself  was 
to  some  extent  a  product  of  the  middle  century  movement 
to  improve  church  music  in  which  dissent  had  a  consider- 
able part.  The  lectures  of  John  Hullah,  and  the  great 
Psalmody  classes  of  the  Rev.  J.  J.  Waite,  were  to  a  large 
extent  among  Nonconformists,  and  Dr.  Allon  led  in  an 
actual  demonstration  of  the  possibilities  of  Congregational 
Song  at  his  Union  Chapel.  Dr.  Gauntlett  made  himself  a 
connecting  link  between  the  Church  and  dissent,  editing  the 
second  part  of  Waite's  The  Hallelujah  (1849),  leading  the 
worship  at  Union  Chapel,  and  editing  Dr.  AUon's  The 
Congregational  Psalmist  (1858),  of  which  over  50,000 
copies  were  circulated.^  ^  The  movement  moreover  had 
the  announced  purpose  of  giving  not  only  more  simplicity 
but  also  an  ecclesiastical  tone  to  the  music.'* ^  But  when, 
with  Hymns  ancient  and  modern,  the  movement  developed 
into  an  Anglican  school  and  crystallized  into  a  distinctive 
Anglican  type  of  hymn  tune,  it  speedily  became  recognized 
by  dissent  as  well  as  in  the  Church  as  the  prevailing  school 

"Preface  of  1867. 

"Preface  to  The  Hallelujah  (1849),  p.  iv. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  523 

of  church  music.  The  evidence  of  this  is  not  merely  the 
appropriation  by  dissenting  Churches  of  the  Anglican  tunes 
but  their  putting  their  successive  hymn  books  into  the  hands 
of  the  Anglican  leaders  for  musical  editing.  For  this  pur- 
pose Dr.  Allon  had  the  services  of  Dr.  Gauntlett,  and,  for 
his  last  revision  of  The  Congregational  Psalmist  Hymnal, 
of  Monk  himself.  The  Presbyterians  chose  Dr.  Rimbault 
to  edit  their  hymn  book  of  1866.  And  when  the  Wesleyan 
Methodists  issued  the  New  Supplement  to  Wesley's  Collec- 
tion, they  turned  over  its  musical  editing  to  Dr.  Gauntlett, 
then  to  George  Cooper,  and,  at  his  death,  to  Dr.  Hopkins ; 
notwithstanding  the  distinctiveness  of  their  own  musical 
traditions  and  their  wish  that  the  best  of  these  should  be 
preserved. 

In  most  of  the  denominations  the  introduction  of  the 
Anglican  chant,  set  to  prose  Psalms  and  the  Prayer  Book 
canticles,  followed  that  of  the  hymn  tunes;  also  the  choir- 
anthem,  and  in  many  churches  anthems  rendered  by  a 
trained  congregation.  As  illustrating  the  development  we 
may  take  the  later  authorized  praise  books  of  two  denomi- 
nations, already  referred  to,  The  Congregational  Church 
Hymnal  (1888)  and  The  Baptist  Church  Hymnal  (1900). 
They  are  very  complete  and  in  construction  identical,  each 
in  three  sections.  Section  i  is  a  rich  collection  of  hymns 
set  to  an  even  larger  collection  of  tunes  in  which  the 
Anglican  standard  prevails.  Section  2  is  the  "Litanies  and 
Chants,"  a  collection  of  metrical  litanies  and  pointed  Psalms, 
Scriptures,  "ancient  Hymns  of  the  Church"  etc.  The  Bap- 
tist is  the  fuller,  with  eight  settings  of  the  Sanctus,  five  of 
Kyrie,  Baptismal  and  offertory  sentences  and  Amens,  with 
special  provision  for  Christmas,  Good  Friday,  Easter  and 
Whitsuntide.  The  3rd  section  of  each  book  is  a  large 
selection  of  anthems  and  of  the  Prayer  Book  canticles  set 
anthern-wise. 

Comparing  these  authorized  praise  books  with  Dr.  Watts' 
"System  of  Praise"  that  once  sufficed  in  both  denomina- 
tions, it  would  be  idle  to  pretend  that  no  change  has  come 


524  THE  ENGLISH   HYMN 

over  the  ideals  and  practice  of  Nonconformist  worship,  or 
to  raise  any  question  as  to  the  influences  that  have  brought 
it  about.  It  was,  more  than  anything  else,  the  Anglican 
Music  that  brought  into  and  diffused  through  these  Churches 
a  liturgical  atmosphere  in  which  the  old  simplicities  with- 
ered, and  from  the  little  collections  of  verses  which  were 
the  praise  books  of  an  earlier  time  developed  and  sustained 
these  stately  structures,  in  which  indeed  the  music  so  dom- 
inates as  almost  to  obscure  the  words.  There  is  special 
significance  also  in  the  fact  that  neither  denomination  had 
further  need  to  call  upon  Anglican  musicians,  but  from  the 
generation  now  grown  up  within  its  own  ranks  each  was 
able  to  produce  musicians  fully  capable  of  giving  an  An- 
glican setting  to  its  worship. 

Turning  now  to  the  influence  of  the  Oxford  Hymnody, 
on  its  literary  side,  upon  Nonconformist  ideals  and  practice, 
it  could  not  be  claimed  that  it  spread  its  high  sacramen- 
tarian  doctrine  or  that  it  supplanted  the  more  subjective 
Hymnody  of  dissent  by  the  Liturgical  Hymn.  But  it  did 
nevertheless  recommend  the  observance  of  first  the  feasts 
and  more  gradually  the  fasts  of  the  Christian  Year.  And 
in  doing  so  it  infused  more  of  the  festal  tone  into  the 
Lord's  Supper,  which  had  become  in  reality  the  Noncon- 
formist Good  Friday  and  the  special  occasion  for  the 
Passion  Hymn.  The  Oxford  Hymnody  was  a  Liturgical 
Hymnody  that  centred  at  the  altar  as  distinctively  as  Non- 
conformist Hymnody  was  an  Evangelical  Hymnody  that 
centred  in  the  personal  experience  of  salvation.  And  the 
surprise  in  the  case  is  not  that  Nonconformity  should  have 
found  a  new  ground  for  dissent  in  the  sacramentarian 
teachings  of  the  Oxford  Hymns,  but  that  it  should  have 
been  open-hearted  enough  to  perceive  much  that  was  good 
and  elevating  in  the  new  Hymnody  and  to  utilize  it  freely 
for  its  own  ends.  In  this  way  Nonconformist  Hymnody 
was  immensely  enriched,  and  though  not  transformed  was 
happily  broadened  out  on  the  distinctively  worshipful  side 
of  Church  Song. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  525 

Dr.  Allon's  Supplemental  Hymns  for  public  worship 
(1868),  published  a  year  later  than  The  People's  Hymnal, 
has  for  its  preface  an  apologia  which  may  serve  as  a  per- 
manent record  of  the  appreciative  but  strictly  discriminating 
spirit  in  which  Nonconformity  began  its  appropriation  of 
the  new  Hymnody  of  the  Oxford  Revival  as  a  desirable 
"supplement"  to  its  own: — 

"The  remarkable  development  of  Hymnology  during  the  last  few 
years— in  the  Romish  and  Anglican  Churches  especially,  in  which 
hitherto  it  has  been  neglected  and  disparaged— has  produced  innumer- 
able writers  of  hymns,  of  various  degrees  of  excellence.  It  is  in  these 
churches  chiefly,  strange  to  say,  that  both  the  poetry  and  the  music 
of  our  church-song  are  just  now  threatened  with  a  corruption  as 
meretricious  as  that  which,  in  former  times,  was  charged  upon  Puritans 
and  Methodists.  But  just  as  the  latjier  could  also  boast  great  singers 
like  Dr.  Watts  and  Charles  Wesley,  with  whose  hymns  no  book  of 
church-song  could  now  dispense;  so  modern  Romanists  and  Anglicans 
have  contributed  very  beautiful  and  very  precious  additions  to  the 
worship  of  the  church :  first,  by  fine  translations  of  old  Church  Hymns ; 
and  next,  by  original  compositions  of  great  fervour  and  excellence. 
Many  of  these  have  so  rapidly  and  so  deservedly  become  popular,  that 
it  is  very  generally  felt  to  be  desirable  that  they  should  be  available 
for  use  in  churches.  .  .  .  From  the  unhappy  polemics  that  now  array 
churches  in  hostile  parties,  and  that  are  specially  associated  with  rival 
Hymnals,  the  Free  Churches  of  Great  Britain  are  happily  exempt; 
no  suspicion  of  sinister  proclivities  attaches  itself  to  them,  because 
they  use  hymns  derived  from  Romish  or  Anglican  sources.  They  are 
able,  therefore,  to  introduce  into  their  worship  whatever,  either  in 
words  or  in  music,  may  contribute  to  their  devoutness  and  joy.  .  .  . 
The  Sacramentarian  developments  of  late  years  have  supplied  a  great 
number  of  tender  and  devout  Hymns  for  the  Lord's  Table,  where, 
if  anywhere,  sanctified  affection  demands  free  expression.  Of  these 
I  have  freely  availed  myself;  avoiding,  I  hope,  every  taint  of  the 
fatal  heresy  for  which,  chiefly,  at  the  Reformation,  English  Christians 
forsook  the  Church  of  Rome." 

2.  The  Presbyterians  Enrich  Anglican  Music  (1866) 

Inquiry  as  to  the  materials  of  Praise  began  in  the  Synod 
of  1841/^  but  throughout  the  Church  there  was  much 
prejudice  against  hymns/''  and  nothing  was  accomplished 

*^Acts  and  proceedings  of  the  Synod,  1841,  p.  20. 
^''See  "Psalms  and  Hymns"  in  The  English  Presbyterian  Messenger, 
Feb.  1849. 


526  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

till  the  authorization  in  1856^"  and  publication  in  1857  of  a 
small  collection  of  Paraphrases  and  Hymns  to  supplement 
the  Scottish  Psalms  of  David  in  metre.  It  was  one  of 
those  meagre  and  timid  collections  with  which  each  of  the 
Presbyterian  Churches  in  Great  Britain  began  its  tentative 
hymn  singing,  and  it  satisfied  nobody.  Introduced  by  the 
session  of  Regent  Square  Church,  the  opposition  was  so 
loud  that  a  count  of  heads  became  expedient,^^  and  then  a 
course  of  lectures  by  the  pastor,  Dr.  James  Hamilton,  to 
justify  the  session.  Dr.  Hamilton  became  the  great  cham- 
pion of  hymns,  publishing  his  Regent  Square  lectures  as 
The  Psalter  and  Hymn  Book  (London:  Nisbet,  1865),  and 
the  leader  of  the  hymn  lovers  in  their  dissatisfaction  with 
the  collection  of  1857.  When  the  demand  for  an  enlarged 
Hymnody  grew  widespread,  but  Synodical  action  remained 
hesitant,  he  formed  with  others  a  voluntary  company*^ 
(with  the  tacit  consent  of  a  majority  of  the  members  of 
Synod),  who  prepared  and  presented  in  1866  a  collection 
of  psalms  and  hymns  which  the  Synod  looked  into  and 
authorized^*^  for  publication  and  use  as  Psalms  and  Hymns 
for  diz'ine  worship.  London,  James  Nisbet  and  Co.,  21 
Berner's  street,  W.  1866.  The  psalms  were  the  Scottish 
Version  unaltered;  the  hymns  numbered  521. 

Dr.  Hamilton  had  hopes  that  English  Presbyterianism 
might  prove  a  refuge  for  the  Protestant  element  in  the 
Church  of  England,^^  and  his  book  made  no  concessions 
to  the  principles  or  methods  of  the  Oxford  party.  By 
including  43  of  the  old  Paraphrases,  some  40  alternate 
Psalm  versions  and  50  of  the  hymns  of  Horatius  Bonar,  he 
even  imparted  something  of  a  Presbyterian  flavor  to  the 
Hymnody.  But  he  did  not  hesitate  to  use  Anglican  hymns 
or  tunes  he  regarded  as  suiting  his  purpose,  and  from  his 

*''Acts  and  proceedings,  1856,  pp.  166,  167,  169. 

*'W.  Arnot,  Life  of  James  Hamilton,  London,  1870,  pp.  573,  574. 

*''Life,  p.  570. 

^Acts  and  proceedings,  1866,  pp.  143,  163. 

''Life,  pp.  195-197. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  527 

standpoint  of  an  evangelical  theology  and  a  warm  devotion 
his  collection  was  excellent.  The  proportion  of  its  con- 
tents still  in  active  use  is  great,  but  the  surpassing  merit 
of  the  book  is  in  the  tunes  to  which  the  hymns  were  set 
by  Dr.  Rimbault.  In  its  gatherings  from  English  and 
German  sources,  its  originals  and  harmonizations.  Psalms 
and  Hymns  was  a  good  second  to  Hymns  ancient  and 
modern.  Among  the  tunes  it  has  contributed  to  common 
worship  are  "Regent  Square,"  "Lancashire,"  "Intercession," 
"Crucifier,"  "Rutherford,"  "Heathlands,"  "Everton," 
"Bentley,"  Smart's  "London"  and  "St.  Leonard,"  and 
Dykes'  "Faith" ;  to  say  nothing  of  its  arrangements  and 
harmonizations.  Its  wide  influence  upon  its  successors  in 
the  choice  and  settings  of  hymns  has  been  little  under- 
stood; partly  perhaps  because  in  the  succeeding  hymnal 
of  its  own  Church,  it  was  not  acknowledged  as  the  source 
even  of  the  tunes  with  which  it  had  enriched  all  Churches. 

In  1876  The  Presbyterian  Church  in  England  united 
with  congregations  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Scotland  to  form  "The  Presbyterian  Church  of  England." 
The  United  Presbyterian  section  kept  on  using  the  then 
recent  The  Presbyterian  Hymnal  of  their  mother  Church, 
while  Psalms  and  Hymns  kept  its  place  in  the  English  sec- 
tion, and  was  also  widely  used  in  Presbyterian  churches 
through  the  British  colonies.''^  In  the  interests  of  uni- 
formity, rather  than  from  any  pressing  need,  the  Synod 
of  1 88 1  appointed  a  committee  to  prepare  a  new  church 
hymnal,  with  the  Rev.  W.  Rigby  Murray  of  Manchester  in 
the  chair  which  the  late  Dr.  Hamilton  had  filled  so  well. 

The  new  book  appeared,  apart  from  the  Psalms,  as 
Church  Praise:  with  tunes  (London:  Nisbet,  1882).  The 
number  of  hymns  is  substantially  unchanged,  but  they  are 
better  arranged,  and  much  new  material  is  introduced  to 
replace  hymns  that  had  gone  out  of  vogue.  A  large  selec- 
tion of  hymns  for  the  young  is  a  new  feature,  and  these 
with  some  Gospel  Hymns  modify  the  musical   standard; 

"'W.  Rigby  Murray  in  Julian's  Dictionary,  p.  908. 


528  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

which  otherwise  is  well  maintained,  and  more  distinctively 
Anglican;  the  number  of  tunes  from  Hymns  ancient  and 
modern  being  55  as  against  5  in  Psalms  and  Hymns.  An 
appendix  of  ancient  hymns  and  canticles,  sanctuses  and 
anthems,  also  testifies  to  Anglican  influences.  In  1870  the 
Church  had  at  last  withdrawn  its  former  rulings  against 
instrumental  music,  and  took  henceforth  a  somewhat  lead- 
ing place  in  cultivating  Congregational  Song.  The  Bible 
Psalter:  being  the  Authorised  Version  of  the  Psalms  pointed 
for  chanting,  by  Sir  Herbert  Oakeley  (London:  Nisbet, 
n.  d.)  suggests  surely  the  natural  way  of  restoring  the 
Psalter  to  its  place  of  honor  in  Presbyterian  worship.  It 
seems  regrettable  that  the  situation  should  have  been  com- 
plicated by  issuing  The  Revised  Psalter  (1886)  as  an  at- 
tempt to  adapt  the  Revised  Version  to  chanting.  In  a 
XXth  century  revision  of  Church  Praise  (London:  Nisbet, 
1907)  some  selected  metrical  psalms  were  appended;  indi- 
cating not  so  much  a  reversion  to  that  form  of  praise  as 
its  disuse  to  a  degree  making  it  hardly  worth  while  to 
carry  a  separate  Psalter  to  church. 

3.     Catholic  Apostolic  Hymnody   (1864) 

Dr.  Hamilton  was  the  successor  of  Edward  Irving  at 
Regent  Square.  Otherwise  the  connection  of  the  Church 
formed  by  Irving's  followers  with  Presbyterianism  seems 
slight.  The  Catholic  Apostolic  Church  drew  its  liturgical 
ideals  from  the  same  fountains  as  the  Oxford  Reformers, 
and  its  elaborate  ritual  reproduces  more  closely  than  theirs 
the  liturgy  of  the  Latin  Church.  Of  this  hymns  were  re- 
garded perhaps  rather  in  the  light  of  an  appendage  than  as 
a  constituent  part.  But  in  1864  the  Church  was  provided 
with  an  authorized  collection.  Hymns  for  the  use  of  the 
churches  (London:  Strangeways  and  Walden),  containing 
205  hymns,  enlarged  to  320  in  1871.  The  hymns  are 
largely  Anglican  and  Roman,  with  some  from  the  German, 
and  a  few  of  Dr.  Bonar's.  Of  its  original  contributors,  the 
compiler,  Mr.  E.  W.  Eddis,  alone  allows  his  name  to  be 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  529 

known.  His  version  from  the  Greek,  "O  brightness  of  the 
Immortal  Father's  face"  has  found  a  place  in  numerous 
collections,  and  others  by  him  are  of  decided  merit.^^  In 
the  Catholic  Apostolic  liturgy  the  Liturgical  Movement  may 
perhaps  be  regarded  as  reaching  its  fullest  development, 
but  in  respect  of  Hymnody  the  honors  remain  with  the 
Anglican  Altar  Hymnal  as  most  definitely  embodying  the 
conception  of  a  Liturgical  Hymn  Book. 

4.       SWEDENBORGIAN    HyMNODY     (179O-1880) 

The  New  Church  had  no  authorized  hymn  book  till  the 
appearance  of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  the  New  Church 
signified  by  the  New  Jerusalem  in  the  Revelation.  Com- 
piled by  order  of  the  General  Conference.  London:  T. 
Goyder  and  H.  C.  Hodson,  1824.  It  was  intended  as  a 
hand  book  of  the  new  faith,  and  was  largely  conditioned  by 
the  didactic  motive.  Natural  prominence  was  given  to 
hymns  of  New  Church  writers ;  of  whom  Joseph  Proud  had 
published  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  for  the  use  of  the 
Lord's  New  Church  (London,  1790) ;  Manoah  Sibly  his 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  in  1802 ;  and  F.  M,  Hodson  his 
Original  Hymns  in  1819.  The  600  hymns  were  chosen  or 
altered  to  put  the  emphasis  on  the  doctrine  that  Christ  is 
the  only  object  of  faith  and  worship. 

The  Church  was  liturgical,  in  the  sense  of  favoring 
formal  as  against  free  worship,  and  the  Hymns  came  to  be 
bound  up  with  The  Morning  and  Evening  Services  as  con- 
tained in  the  "Liturgy" ;  but  the  liturgy  was  largely  inde- 
pendent of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 

A  not  very  successful  effort  to  introduce  versions  of 
Latin  and  German  hymns  occasioned  the  Supplement  of 
Hymns  for  the  New  Church.  Compiled  by  order  of  the 
General  Conference.  London:  James  Speirs,  18^2.  And 
in  1880  this  gave  way  to  a  new  hymn  book,  with  the  same 

''Tor  the  music  at  the  Gordon  Square  Church,  see  J.  Spencer  Cur- 
wen,  Studies  in  Worship  Music,  ist  series,  3rd  ed.,  n.  d.,  p.  397. 


530  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

title  as  that  of  1824  (London:  James  Speirs),  not  greatly 
differing  in  type  or  method;  but  availing  itself  "of  such 
outbirths  of  Sacred  Song  as  the  New  Age,  the  Second 
Advent  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  has  produced  in  the 
English  language."  The  book  is  interesting  and  worthy, 
and  less  Anglican  in  manner  than  many  of  its  contempo- 
raries. Of  later  New  Church  writers  represented,  William 
Mason,  who  published  Hymns  of  Spiritual  Experience  in 
1840,  is  most  conspicuous;  and  over  all  is  the  trail  of  the 
editorial  blue  pencil,  altering  alike  the  hymns  whether  of 
the  old  Church  or  the  New. 


Ill 

OXFORD    INFLUENCES    IN    SCOTLAND    AND 
IRELAND:  PRESBYTERIAN  HYMN  SINGING 

When  we  recall  that  in  1839  John  Keble  introduced  his 
metrical  version  of  the  Psalms  with  the  remark  that  psalm 
singing  had  prevailed  so  long  and  so  universally  in  the 
Church  of  England  "that  there  is  small  hope  at  present  of 
changing  it,"  ^^  it  is  not  surprising  that  Scotland  proved 
tenacious  of  a  practice  based  on  conscientious  scruples  as 
well  as  upon  national  tradition. 

I.     The  Changes  in  United  Presbyterian  Hymnody 
(1848-1877) 

The  United  Presbyterian  Church  was  made  up  of  the 
elements  most  favorable  to  hymn  singing.  We  have  noted 
the  adoption  of  a  little  selection  of  Sacred  Songs  and 
Hymns  by  the  Synod  of  Relief  as  early  as  1794.  It  was 
forty-six  years  later  when  another  member  of  the  Scottish 
secession,  the  United  Secession  Church,  began  to  consider 
a  selection  of  paraphrases  and  hymns  for  its  congregations, 
and  had  actually  printed  it^^  when  negotiations  began  for 

"Keble's  preface,  p.  viii. 

"See  C.  G.  McCrie,  The  Public  Worship  of  Presbyterian  Scotland, 
Edinburgh,  1892,  p.  333. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  531 

union  with  the  ReHef  Synod.  Within  five  days  of  that 
union's  consummation  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  ap- 
pointed a  committee  on  Psalmody,  who  recommended  that 
a  book  of  hymns  be  prepared,  published  a  draft  in  1848, 
and  in  185 1  another  which  was  authorized  and  published 
as  Hymn  Book  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  (Edin- 
burgh: Oliphant,  1851).  So  little  was  the  Church  then 
moved  by  liturgical  considerations  that  the  460  hymns 
were  arranged  in  the  order  of  the  Scripture  passages  on 
which  they  were  based. 

The  book  as  a  whole  was  not  popular,  and  was  super- 
seded by  The  Presbyterian  Hymnal  with  accompanying 
times  (Edinburgh,  1877)  which  had  been  authorized  in 
1876.  In  this  the  Anglican  influences  were  most  marked. 
The  book  opens  with  Heber's  "Holy !  holy !  holy !"  and  in  the 
list  of  acknowledgments  the  first  is  to  Mrs.  Alexander,  the 
second  to  the  editor  of  Hymns  ancient  and  modern.  The 
hymns  are  reduced  to  366,  making  its  homiletical  employ- 
ment impracticable ;  the  prose  Te  Deum  and  Gloria  in  Ex- 
celsis,  with  Scripture  passages  pointed  for  chanting,  are 
included;  full  use  is  made  of  Neale's  and  other  versions 
from  the  Greek  and  Latin ;  Dr.  Hamilton  Macgill  furnishes 
additional  versions,  and  Dr.  Wm.  B.  Robertson  a  new 
translation  of  Dies  Irae;  and  Dr.  Henry  Smart  is  put  in 
charge  of  the  music.  So  great  is  the  change  of  atmosphere 
that  one  would  assume  that  the  hymn  books  of  185 1  and 
1877  were  representative  of  different  denominations. 

2.    The  Hymnody  of  the  Kirk  Falls  into  the  Hands 
OF  the  Liturgical  Party   (1845- 1885) 

In  the  Established  Church  nothing  had  been  done  since 
the  sufferance  of  Translations  and  Paraphrases.  But  there 
was  always  unrest,  and  one  of  the  periodic  movements  "to 
enlarge  the  Psalmody"  began  in  the  General  Assembly 
with  the  appointment  of  a  committee  on  Psalmody  in  1845, 
one  on  Paraphrases  in  1847,  ^^^  ^^  overture  referred  to 
them  jointly  in  1852  concerning  "an  authorized  collection 


532  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

of  sacred  hymns."  Their  Hymns  connected  with  passages  of 
Sacred  Scripture,  collected  by  a  committee  of  the  General 
Assembly,  and  prepared  for  presentation  on  Friday,  May 
26,  18^4,  and  a  succeeding  committee's  Hymns  connected 
with  passages  of  Sacred  Scripture,  and  adapted  for  public 
worship.  Selected  by  a  committee  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Church  of  Scotland  from  a  collection  made  by  a 
former  committee.  May  18^^,  were  small  (the  latter  con- 
taining only  25)  and  ineffective.  Then  in  i860  another 
committee  presented  a  collection  of  85  hymns,  printed  as 
Hymns  collected  by  the  committee  of  the  General  Assembly 
on  Psalmody  for  presentation  in  May  i860:  David  Arnot, 
D.D.,  convener  (Edinburgh:  Paton  and  Ritchie,  i860). 
Revised  and  enlarged  to  97  numbers  by  still  another  com- 
mittee, this  became  Hymns  for  public  worship  collected  by 
the  committee  of  the  General  Assembly  on  Psalmody.  For 
presentation  in  May  1861.  David  Arnot,  D.D.,  convener. 
In  expressly  allowing  this  selection  to  be  printed,  the 
Assembly  may  be  held  as  now  authorizing  for  the  first 
time  (1861)  the  use  of  hymns  in  the  Church  of  Scotland, 
but  from  the  selection  itself  it  withheld  its  sanction,^^  and 
the  book  was  adopted  in  very  few  congregations.^'^  It  was 
subjected  to  a  revision  and  republished  in  1864,  but  even 
so  with  no  more  authority  from  the  Assembly  than  is  im- 
plied in  permission  to  publish  it.  Poor  as  it  was  in  selection 
and  arrangement,  and  garbled  as  were  its  texts,  it  was 
quite  largely  adopted  by  congregations  who  wished  to  sing 
hymns,  and  had  to  accept  what  was  offered. ^^ 

The  importance  of  the  movement  brought  to  this  stage 
of  forwardness  does  not  lie  in  the  hymn  book  which  em- 
bodies it,  but  in  what  that  hymn  book  represents, — the 
authorized  singing  of  hymns  in  the  worship  of  the  Church 
of  Scotland.  The  hymn  book  survived  but  a  few  years, 
but  the  new  status  of  the  Hymn  proved  permanent.     The 

°'McCrie,  p.  332. 

"Cf.  A.  K.  H.  Boyd  in  Blackwood's  Magazine,  May,  1889,  p.  660. 

''Dr.  Sprott  in  McCrie,  p.  332,  note  38. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  533 

moving  causes  behind  this  change  are  not  readily  got  at. 
The  movement  was  not  Htiirgical.  Dr.  Lee,  the  leader  in 
liturgical  "innovations,"  and  who  actually  violated  all  Scot- 
tish precedent  by  introducing  a  harmonium  into  Grey  friars, 
fought  and  virtually  won  the  battle  for  instrumental  music, 
but  was  indifferent  to  metrical  hymns.  He  thought  the 
hymns  of  Scripture  in  prose  furnished  adequate  materials 
for  praise,  and  that  the  really  excellent  modern  hymns  did 
not  number  a  score. ^^  To  some  extent  the  old  desire  for 
evangelical  songs  may  have  been  behind  the  movement, 
though  the  psalm  singers  denied  it,  and  claimed  it  to  be 
brought  about  to  gratify  the  taste  of  "individuals  and  small 
parties,"  "chiefly  enthusiastic  lovers  of  music."  *^^  And  no 
doubt  the  Romantic  Movement  and  the  improved  standard 
of  taste  it  disseminated  is  partly  responsible  for  the  dis- 
taste of  a  new  generation  for  the  old  Psalmody  and  its 
preference  for  hymns;  though  Sir  Walter  himself  was  a 
confessed  admirer  of  "Rous'  Version." 

It  is  to  be  understood  that  the  movement  was  to  enlarge 
the  Psalmody  and  not  to  discard  it,  and  that  the  hymn  book 
proposed  was  a  supplement  to,  and  not  a  substitute  for,  the 
old  psalm  book.  Even  so,  to  those  who  cherished  their 
recollections  of  the  severe  simplicities  and  spiritual  fervor 
of  the  earlier  Psalmody,  it  seemed  to  threaten  the  spirituality 
of  Scottish  worship  and  aroused  resentment  and  opposition. 
Thus  the  movement  toward  hymns  encountered  bitter 
enemies,  and  had  also  some  cold  friends  among  the  com- 
mittee-men charged  with  its  interests.  The  lack  of  system 
and  of  quality,  the  incessant  tinkering  of  texts,  in  the  col- 
lections laid  before  the  Assembly  by  successive  committees 
is  perhaps  explained  by  a  ruling  idea  on  their  part  of  com- 
piling a  group  of  paraphrases  and  hymns  to  take  the  place 
of    the    XVIIIth    century    Translations   and   Paraphrases 

^"Robert  Lee,  The  Reform  of  The  Church  of  Scotland,  Edinburgli, 
1864,  chap.  X,  "Psalms  and  Hymns." 

""Jas.  Gibson,  The  public  worship  of  God:  Hymns  and  hymn  books, 
London,  1869,  p.  97. 


534  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

rather  than  to  prepare  what  we  call  a  hymnal.  Otherwise 
the  contrast  betwen  the  Scottish  Hymns  for  public  worship 
of  1861  and  the  English  Hymns  ancient  and  modern  of  the 
same  year  would  be  difficult  to  account  for. 

In  the  meantime  a  considerable  number  of  the  Scottish 
clergy  had  come  under  the  influences  of  the  Oxford  Revival. 
A  group  of  them  banded  themselves  together  in  1865  as 
"The  Church  Service  Society,"  ^^  to  study  the  liturgies 
ancient  and  modern,  and  to  prepare  forms  of  worship;*^- 
and  into  the  hands  of  these  men  the  interests  of  the  Hym- 
nody  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  fell  at  once,  and,  in  spite 
of  much  misunderstanding  and  criticism,  remained  there 
with  very  remarkable  results. 

The  first  step  toward  a  better  Hymnody  was  an  overture 
to  the  Assembly  of  1866  which  Dr.  A.  K.  H.  Boyd  put 
through  his  Presbytery  of  St.  Andrews,  asking  for  a  new 
committee  to  prepare  a  new  hymnal  "on  principles  exactly 
contradictory  of  those  on  which  its  little  predecessor  had 
been  put  together,"  viz. :  that  only  hymns  already  accepted 
by  Christian  people  for  their  excellence  be  admitted,  and 
that  they  be  printed  (when  possible)  just  as  their  authors 
wrote  them.*^^  The  overture  was  approved  by  an  over- 
whelming majority  of  the  Assembly,  and  the  committee 
appointed,  but  with  the  convener  of  the  old  committee  still 
in  the  chair  of  the  new.  After  he  had  refused  during  a 
year  to  call  the  committee  together,  Dr.  Boyd  was  appointed 
in  his  stead,  and  the  work  went  forward  with  a  dominant 
purpose  that  had  to  yield  something  to  conflicting  views  in 
a  very  large  committee.^^     After  presenting  drafts  in  1868, 

"'There  is  a  good  account  of  this  society  in  McCrie,  pp.  341-349. 

""See  its  'Euchologion:  or  Book  of  Prayers;  being  forms  of  worship 
issued  by  The  Church  Service  Society;  ist  ed.,  Edinburgh,  1867;  7th 
ed.,  1896. 

"^"A.  K.  H.  B."  in  Blackwood  for  May  1889;  "The  new  Hymnology 
of  the  Scottish  Kirk."  This  vivid  article  best  preserves  the  acri- 
monious atmosphere  in  which  the  liturgical  party  wrought  a  great 
change  in  the  Church  of  Scotland,  and  gives  full  particulars  of  the 
compilation  of  The  Scottish  Hymnal. 

'*  "A.  K.  H.  B."  ut  supra. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  535 

1869  and  1870,  they  were  authorized  to  revise  and  publish 
the  later  one.  It  appeared  in  September,  1870,  as  The 
Scottish  Hymnal:  Hymns  for  public  worship  selected  by  a 
committee  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland.  Published  for  use  in  churches  by  authority  of 
the  General  Assembly  (Edinburgh:  Blackwood,  1870); 
and  in  1872  with  tunes,  under  the  editorship  of  W.  H. 
Monk  who  incorporated  many  of  his  arrangements  and 
copyright  tunes  from  Hymns  ancient  and  modern.  Its  200 
hymns  were  mainly  the  selection  of  Dr.  Rankin  of  Muthill, 
who  also  devised  the  title,  as  felicitous  for  the  hymnal  of 
a  national  church  as  that  of  Hymns  ancient  and  modern  was 
for  a  partisan  hymnal.  Of  the  two  books  The  Scottish, 
Hymnal  was  the  better  both  in  its  literary  standard  and  the 
purity  of  its  texts;  freed  as  it  was  from  the  necessity  of 
providing  liturgical  verse  accoiiimodated  to  numerous  saints' 
days  and  like  occasions.  Including  as  it  did  the  most  ap- 
pealing of  the  hymns  of  the  new  Literary  and  Liturgical 
schools,  it  is  indeed  difficult  to  see  how  its  selection  could 
have  been  much  bettered  within  its  limits. 

The  Scottish  Hymnal  settled  the  character  and  type  of  the 
Hymnody  of  the  Church  of  Scotland.  Some  years'  use  of 
it  disclosed  the  need  of  enlargement,  and  an  Appendix  of 
1884  prepared  by  the  same  committee,  increased  the  number 
of  hymns  to  358,  with  a  supplement  of  86  Children's 
Hymns.  With  the  new  hymns  incorporated  in  their  proper 
places,  and  the  whole  provided  with  tunes  under  the  editor- 
ship of  Albert  Lister  Peace  of  Glasgow  Cathedral,  The 
Scottish  Hymnal  took  its  final  form  in  1885.  The  face  of 
the  new  Scottish  Hymnody  thus  presented  is  undoubtedly 
a  glowing  one.  To  some  it  suggested  no  more  than  a  light 
reflected  from  an  alien  movement  in  another  denomination 
and  another  country  than  Scotland:  to  others  it  seemed  to 
spring  from  a  new  catholicity  in  the  heart  of  Presbyterian- 
ism  itself,  a  recognition  and  a  sharing  of  what  was  best  in 
the  experiences  of  its  fellow-Christians. 


536  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

3.  The  Free  Church  Remodels  its  Hymn  Book  (1882) 
The  Free  Church,  which  went  out  at  the  Disruption  of 
1843,  continued  the  use  of  metrical  psalms  without  question 
until  1866,  when  its  Assembly,  in  response  to  several  over- 
tures, appointed  a  committee  to  inquire  in  what  way  the 
Psalmody  could  be  enlarged  without  disturbing  the  peace  of 
the  Church. "^^  Nothing  more  was  then  contemplated  than  a 
revision  of  the  old  Translations  and  Paraphrases,  and  the 
addition  of  some  hymns  f^  but  with  the  developed  conscien- 
tiousness characterizing  the  Free  Church,  and  in  view  of 
the  scruples  of  many  against  uninspired  hymns,  the  com- 
mittee divided  itself  into  three  sections,  to  study  the  usage 
of  "The  Reformed  Church  of  Scoland,"  the  primitive  rule 
and  practice,  and  the  doctrinal  teaching  of  the  old  Para- 
phrases. The  committee  reported  in  1869  that  they  found 
no  Scripture  principle,  primitive  use  or  Scottish  law  con- 
flicting with  the  use  of  hymns,  and  in  1870  presented  a 
draft  of  selections  from  Translations  and  Paraphrases  and 
additional  hymns.  After  some  delay  and  revision  this  was 
approved  and  allowed  for  public  use  in  1872,  amid  much 
opposition  and  by  a  vote  of  152  against  61.^'^  It  appeared 
in  1873  as  Psalm-Versions,  Paraphrases,  and  Hymns  (Edin- 
burgh, 1873),  and  was  provided  with  tunes  in  The  Scottish 
Psalmody  of  the  same  year.  Its  123  hymns  included  40 
of  the  old  Paraphrases,  and  are  more  important  as  com- 
mitting the  Free  Church  to  hymn  singing  than  as  a  hymn 
book. 

An  inevitable  movement  to  enlarge  the  Hymnody  began 
almost  at  once,  and  resulted  in  The  Free  Church  Hymn  Book 
with  tunes.  Published  by  authority  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland  (Paisley  1882),  a 
collection  of  387  hymns  and  30  Scriptural  anthems,  set  to 
music  under  the  editorship  of  the  eminent  Anglican  musi- 
cian, Edward  J.  Hopkins.     In  size  and  motive  and  manner 

^'^Proceedings  and  debates.  Free  Church,  1866,  pp.  247,  268. 

*°See  Report  of  Committee  in  The  Evangelical  Witness,  Octo.  i,  1869. 

^Proceedings  and  debates,  Free  Church,  1872,  p.  327. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  537 

it  is  of  the  same  type  as  The  Scottish  Hymnal,  but  suffers 
in  the  comparison  in  lacking  the  distinguished  format  of 
that  book,  and  by  an  arrangement  of  its  hymns  by  their 
metres  and  not  their  subjects.  It  has  more  Scottish  hymns, 
including  20  of  the  Paraphrases,  and  a  larger  representation 
of  recent  authors  outside  the  Anglican  school.  It  is  re- 
markable that  a  Church  that  only  a  few  years  earlier  was 
debating  the  lawfulness  of  hymn  singing  should  be  thus 
provided  with  so  excellent  a  hymnal  of  the  latest  fashion:  a 
result  largely  due  to  the  broadmindedness  and  culture  of 
Alexander  B.  Bruce,  convener  of  the  committee  compiling 
it,  and  to  the  hymnological  knowledge  of  James  Bonar  of 
Greenock. ^^  The  committee  proceeded  to  set  music  to  the 
metrical  Psalter,  the  Paraphrases  and  some  of  the  prose 
Psalms  under  Dr.  Hopkins'  supervision,  as  The  Scottish 
Psalter  (1883);  and  to  issue  a  hymnal  for  the  young  of 
striking  beauty  and  merit,  under  the  musical  editorship  of 
Sir  Joseph  Barnby,  as  The  Home  and  School  Hymnal 
(Edinburgh:  University  Press,  1893).  The  Free  Church 
provision  for  Praise  became  thus  very  complete. 

4.     Scottish  Hymn  Writing 

Of  the  hymn  writers  put  forward  or  represented  in  these 
hymn  books,  the  ministry  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
furnished  three:  George  Jacque  and  William  Bruce  con- 
tributed to  The  Presbyterian  Hymnal  of  1876  hymns  still 
in  use,  and  Hamilton  M.  Macgill  was  the  first  Scottish 
minister  to  bring  the  hymns  of  the  Latin  Church  before 
the  Presbyterian  Churches. 

Of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  Robert  Murray  McCheyne's 
"When  this  passing  world  is  done,"  William  Robertson's 
"A  little  child  the  Saviour  came,"  Principal  Shairp's  "Twixt 
gleams  of  joy  and  clouds  of  doubt,"  and  Norman  Mac- 
leod's  "Courage,  brother!  do  not  stumble,"  are  all  in  use 
beyond  the  bounds  of  Scotland.     John  R.  Macduff's  once 

''His  valuable  indexes  and  annotations  are  in  the  larger  edition 
without  music. 


538  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

popular  The  Gates  of  Praise  (1875)  is  now  remembered  by 
"Christ  is  coming!  let  creation."  And  George  Matheson 
wrote,  among  others,  one  of  the  most  popular  of  modern 
hymns,  in  "O  Love  that  wilt  not  let  me  go,"  so  happily 
wedded  to  music  in  The  Scottish  Hymnal. 

The  Free  Church  numbered  among  its  ministers  the  most 
eminent  Scottish  hymn  writer,  Horatius  Bonar,  a  pastor  at 
Kelso,  later  at  Edinburgh,  for  a  while  regarded  as  the 
peer  of  Watts  and  Charles  Wesley.  Of  his  ten  tracts  or 
volumes  of  hymns  ( 1 843-1 881 )  seven  were  published  before 
his  Church  authorized  hymn  singing,  and  his  hymns  were 
sung  in  almost  every  communion  but  his  own.  Spontaneous, 
careless,  and  sometimes  ringing  the  changes  fatiguingly, 
they  are  warmly  evangelical,  often  poetical,  and  always 
sympathetic.  God's  love  in  Christ,  the  rest  of  faith  and 
beauty  of  holiness,  the  helpfulness  of  sacraments,  the  hope 
of  the  Second  Coming  irradiating  the  pathos  of  life,  were 
Dr.  Bonar's  special  themes.  And  while  he  may  not  have 
created  a  new  type  of  English  hymn,  he  had  a  distinctive 
style,  a  childlike  simplicity  and  straightforwardness,  a 
cheerful  note  with  a  plaintive  undertone;  and  he  impressed 
his  striking  personality  upon  the  English  Hymn.  The 
appeal  of  his  hymns  to  his  own  generation  was  so  wide- 
spread and  pronounced  as  almost  to  create  a  cult.  Fully  a 
hundred  of  his  hymns  have  been  in  actual  church  use,  many 
of  which  are  gradually  passing  out  of  sight.  Eighteen  are 
in  the  Scottish  The  Church  Hymnary  of  1898,  and  of  these 
such  hymns  as  'T  heard  the  voice  of  Jesus  say,"  "Thy  way, 
not  mine,  O  Lord,"  "A  few  more  years  shall  roll,"  "When 
the  weary,  seeking  rest,"  and  "Here,  O  my  Lord,  I  see 
Thee  face  to  face,"  are  both  characteristic  and  enduring.^^ 
After  Bonar,  James  Drummond  Burns,  who  had  a  charge 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  England,  is  the  best  known 
Free  Church  hymn  writer,  and  his  "Hushed  was  the  even- 
ing hymn"  and  "Still  with  Thee,  O  my  God"  are  in  wide 

^"For  a  sufficient  presentation  of  the  hymns,  see  Hymns  by  Horatius 
Bonar,  Henry  Frowde,  1904. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  539 

use.  Dr.  Bonar  has  a  place  among  students  and  translators 
of  Latin  hymns,  and  the  sisters,  Mrs.  Sarah  Findlater  and 
Jane  L.  Borthwick,  by  their  Hymns  from  the  Land  of 
Luther.  By  H.  L.  L.  (1854-1862)  won  a  high  place  in 
the  useful  band  of  translators  from  the  German.  Miss 
Borthwick  has  also  three  original  hymns  in  The  Church 
Hymnary  (1898).  Mrs.  Anne  Ross  Cousins'  Immanuel's 
Land  (1876)  contributes  "The  sands  of  time  are  sinking," 
"O  Christ,  what  burdens  bowed  Thy  Head,"  and  "To  Thee 
and  to  Thy  Christ,  O  God." 

5.      Unauthorized   Hymn    Singing   by   Irish    Presby- 
terians (1830-1894) 

During  all  these  years  of  change  in  Scotland  the  Irish 
Presbyterian  Church  had  never  authorized  the  use  of  hymns 
in  worship,  or  of  anything  beyond  "Rous'  version."  The 
subject  was  often  debated  with  Irish  warmth  in  Presby- 
teries and  Assembly.  In  1880  the  Assembly  published  A 
revised  edition  of  the  Scottish  Metrical  Version  of  the 
Psalms,  and  so  far  submitted  to  the  prevailing  influences 
as  to  call  upon  a  Dublin  adherent  of  the  Anglican  school, 
Sir  R.  P.  Stewart,  to  edit  its  music,  adding  some  new  Psalm 
versions  in  metres  adapted  to  tunes  from  Hymns  ancient 
and  modern  and  kindred  sources. 

It  seems,  however,  to  have  been  admitted  even  by  the 
advocates  of  exclusive  Psalmody  that  "congregations  can 
use  any  hymns  they  please  .  .  .  without  being  called  to 
account,"  ''^  though  "without  sanction."  Advantage  was 
taken  of  this  liberty  in  some  congregations  at  an  early  date. 
A  collection  of  220  Hymns  adapted  to  public  worship: 
intended  as  a  supplement  to  the  Psalmody  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland  ("as  used  by  most  of  the  Presbyterian  congrega- 
tions in  Ulster")  appeared  at  Dublin  in  1830.  Into  other 
congregations  hymns  came  more  insidiously  by  way  of  the 
Sunday  school.     "The  toleration  of  hymns  in  the  Sabbath 

'"Professor  Dick,  The  Hymnary  Discussions  in  the  General  Assembly, 
Belfast,  1899,  p.  14. 


540  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Schools,"  says  Professor  Dick,  "has  greatly  promoted  the 
movement  for  corrupting  Divine  worship."  '^^  But  during 
the  last  quarter  of  the  century  "a  tremendous  change"  came 
over  the  opinions  of  the  great  body  of  Irish  Presbyterians,'^^ 
and  their  demand  for  an  authorized  Hymnody  became 
somewhat  urgent.  The  contents  of  W.  Fleming  Steven- 
son's Hymns  for  Church  and  Home  (London,  1873)  serve 
to  show  how  much  the  Anglican  Hymnody  and  the  im- 
pulse it  gave  to  hymn  singing  were  behind  this  change.  It 
showed  too  that  Irish  Presbyterians  had  at  hand  an  excel- 
lent hymnologist  and  capable  editor.  Even  more  Anglican, 
and  more  choice  also,  was  Book  of  Common  Song:  being 
a  supplement  to  the  Psalter  in  the  worship  of  the  Church 
(Marcus  Ward,  1890)  edited  by  Rev.  Andrew  Charles 
Murphy  of  Belfast  on  the  theory  "that  there  are  not  more 
than  three  hundred  hymns  of  adequate  merit  in  the  lan- 
guage." "'^  But  the  General  Assembly  neither  gave  its  sanc- 
tion to  Hymnody  nor  undertook  the  preparation  of  a  hymnal 
until  1895,  when  it  appointed  a  committee  to  select  mate- 
rials; a  project  which  was  merged  in  a  larger  one  for  a 
common  Presbyterian  Hymnal. 

6.     The  Movement   for  a  Common   Hymnal  Yields 
TO  Oxford  Influences  (1870-1898) 

Each  of  the  Churches  had  dealt  with  the  problem  of 
hymn  singing  as  it  arose  and  in  a  different  way,  and  a 
separate  hymn  book  for  each  denomination  had  been  a 
practical  necessity.  But  there  was  in  reality  no  denomina- 
tional Hymnody,  and  except  in  a  certain  approach  of  The 
Scottish  Hymnal  to  the  doctrine  as  well  as  the  method  and 
manner  of  the  Oxford  Hymnody,  no  marked  difference 
between  the  books.  There  seemed  no  necessity  that  the 
unfortunate   divisions   of   Presbyterianism   should   be  em- 

''^The  Hymnary  Discussions,  p.  22. 
'''Ibid.,  p.  19. 

"Unlike  many  who  hold  this  theory,  Dr.  Murphy  included  only  one 
hymn  of  his  own  composition. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  541 

bodied  in  books  of  praise,  and  a  desire  arose  for  a  hymn 
book  which  all  branches  of  Presbyterianism  might  use  in 
common. 

In  this  movement  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  led  the 
way.  When  in  1870  its  Synod  began  the  preparation  of 
The  Presbyterian  Hymnal,  it  resolved  to  approach  the  other 
Churches  with  a  view  to  common  action.  But  the  Estab- 
lished Church  was  well  advanced  in  the  preparation  of  The 
Scottish  Hymnal,  and  the  Free  could  not  then  see  its  way 
beyond  a  very  small  selection  of  hymns  as  its  first  step.^^ 
Resolving  to  revise  its  hymnal  in  1891,  the  United  Presby- 
terian Church  again  approached  the  others,  and  this  time 
successfully.  A  joint  committee  of  the  three  Churches  was 
appointed,  and  proceeded  to  the  point  of  printing  a  "Draft 
Hymnal,"  revised  and  reissued  in  1895  ^"^  again  in  1896.'^^ 

At  this  point  the  Church  of  Scotland,  at  the  instigation 
of  what  many  regarded  as  the  Ultra- Anglican  party,  ad- 
ministered a  shock  by  withdrawing  (May,  1896)  from 
the  whole  project.  Elsewhere  interest  in  the  project  had 
widened  and  crystallized  into  a  definite  proposaF*^  of  a 
common  hymnal  for  all  the  Presbyterian  Churches  of  the 
British  Empire.  In  1895  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Ire- 
land, and  also  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Canada,  which 
had  printed  a  draft  hymnal  of  its  own,  sent  representatives 
to  the  Joint  Hymnal  Committee  with  a  view  of  cooperation. 

The  draft  of  1896  was  adopted  by  the  United  and  Free 
Churches  and  that  of  Ireland,  under  some  protest,  inasmuch 
as  numerous  hymns  had  been  inserted  to  gratify  the  domi- 
nant party  in  the  Established  Church,  which  some  in  the 
other  Churches  regarded  as  "Romanizing."  It  was  con- 
tended that  the  situation  was  changed  by  the  withdrawal 

'*John  Brownlie,  The  Hymns  and  Hymn  writers  of  The  Church 
Hymnary,  Henry  Frowde,  n.  d.,  p.  4. 

''^Draft  Hymnal  prepared  by  Joint  Committee  of  Church  of  Scot- 
land, Free  Church  and  United  Presbyterian  Church.  ■  Edinburgh: 
printed  for  the  committee,  1896  (598  Hymns). 

'^Agreed  upon  by  the  British  delegates  to  the  Council  of  the 
Presbyterian  Alliance  at  Toronto,  1892.     Brownlie,  p.  6. 


542  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  and  that  the  book  did  not  repre- 
sent the  consenting  Churches.'^'  But  the  body  of  Scottish 
Churchmen  were  also  dissatisfied  with  the  situation,  and 
under  pressure  from  the  Presbyteries,  and  after  some  con- 
cessions were  made  in  the  draft  hymnal,'''^  it  was  also 
adopted  by  the  Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  in  1897. 
The  new  hymnal,  one  of  the  comeliest  ever  made,  ap- 
peared as  The  Church  Hymnary,  authorized  for  use  in 
public  worship  by  The  Chtirch  of  Scotland,  The  Free  Church 
of  Scotland,  The  United  Presbyterian  Church,  The  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  Ireland.  The  music  edited  by  Sir  John 
Stainer  (Henry  Frowde,  1898).  Of  its  625  hymns,  172 
had  been  in  the  books  of  all  three  Scottish  Churches,  128 
in  two,  119  in  The  Scottish  Hymnal  alone,  33  in  The  Free 
Church  Hymn  Book  alone,  46  in  The  Presbyterian  Hymnal 
alone,  and  127  were,  in  none  of  them.^''  The  influences  that 
were  behind  The  Scottish  Hymnal  thus  predominated  in 
making  the  new  Hymnary,  affecting  the  Hymnody  of  all 
the  Churches.  At  the  same  time  all  hymns  were  included 
which  in  the  judgment  of  all  the  representatives  of  any 
one  denomination  had  become  standards  in  that  Church.*^ 
The  music  of  the  book  followed  frankly  the  ideals  of  Monk 
in  Hymns  ancient  and  modern.  The  Church  Hymnary  in 
its  choice  of  hymns,  its  texts,  and  its  music,^^  to  which  its 
form  and  typography  must  be  added,  is  of  a  very  high 
order,  and  must  always  remain  a  distinguished  representa- 
tive of  modern  Church  Praise.    But  apart  from  the  Oxford 

"C/.  G.  T.  Niven,  "The  Remnant  of  the  Joint-Hymnal  Committee" 
in  United  Presbyterian  Magazine,  August  1896. 

"For  outside  views  of  the  situation,  see  United  Pres.  Magazine, 
Nov.  1896,  and  January  1897;  and  The  Presbyterian  and  Reformed 
Review,  Octo.   1896    (Scottish  correspondence). 

'"Brownlie,  p.  7,  note. 

^"The  first  chapter  of  Brownlie's  book  is  the  best  account  of  the 
making  of  The  Church  Hymnary,  and  the  fourteenth  is  a  full  sketch 
of  its  musical  editing. 

"Its  tunes  are  studied  historically  in  Wm.  Cowan  and  Jas.  Love, 
The  Music  of  The  Church  Hymnary  and  The  Psalter  in  metre,  its 
sources  and  composers,  Henry   Frowde,    1901. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  543 

Revival  it  could  not  have  been  made,  and  if  so  could  not 
have  been  accepted  by  Scottish  and  Irish  Presbyterianism. 

So  far  as  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  England  and  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Canada  are  concerned,  the  move- 
ment for  unity  failed.  The  former  is  dealt  with  elsewhere. 
The  Hymnal  of  the  latter,  adopted  in  1880,  was  replaced 
by  The  Presbyterian  Book  of  Praise:  approved  and  com- 
mended by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Canada,  with  tunes.  Part  i,  Selections  from  the 
Psalter;  Part  ii,  The  Hymnal,  revised  and  enlarged.  Ox- 
ford: printed  at  the  University  Press,  i8gy.  This  book 
also  is  greatly  enriched  by  the  Anglican  Hymnody  and 
church  music,  but  is  more  eclectic  than  the  Scottish  book. 
It  shows  more  affiliation  with  the  less  severe  standards 
prevalent  in  the  United  States  and  was  under  the  necessity 
of  providing  for  a  great  home  mission  work.  It  had  the 
felicity  of  bringing  forward  a  hymn  writer  of  Canadian 
Presbyterianism,  Dr.  Robert  Murray  of  Halifax;  whose 
Home  Mission  Hymn,  "From  ocean  unto  ocean,"  has  al- 
ready proved  its  usefulness. 

OXFORD  INFLUENCES  ON  AMERICAN 
HYMNODY 

We  have  now  to  consider  the  efifects  of  the  Oxford 
Movement  on  the  Hymnody  of  the  American  Churches. 

I.     The  Appeal  of  the  Latin  Hymn    (1840-1861) 

An  interest  in  Latin  hymns  was  awakened  here  almost  as 
soon  as  in  England.  In  1840  Dr.  Henry  Mills  of  Auburn 
published  The  Hymn  of  Hildebert  and  the  Ode  of  Xavier, 
with  English  versions.  Bishop  Williams  followed  in  1845 
with  Ancient  Hymns  of  Holy  Church,  and  Dr.  Coles  in  1847 
with  his  versions  of  Dies  Irae.  The  body  of  the  Breviary 
and  Missal  Hymns  were  made  accessible  to  the  American 


544  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

public  in  Lyra  Catholica  (New  York:  Dunigan,  1851),  and 
again  in  the  Boston  Hymns  of  the  Ages  (1858)  which  F.  D. 
Huntington  introduced.  How  the  Unitarians  led  in  the 
introduction  of  these  versions  into  their  hymn  books  we 
have  already  seen.^^  Among  Congregationalists,  Henry 
Ward  Beecher  used  Lyra  Catholica  as  one  of  the  sources 
of  his  Plymouth  Collection  of  1855,  ^^^  the  Andover 
faculty  secured  further  versions  of  Latin  hymns  from  Dr. 
Ray  Palmer  for  their  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  of  1858.  Among 
Presbyterians  Dr.  Willis  Lord  had  included  numerous  ver- 
sions in  his  Hymns  of  Worship  (Philadelphia,  1858),  one 
of  many  protests  against  the  authorized  Hymnody  of  his 
Church.  W.  C.  Dana  of  Charleston,  in  his  A  Collection  of 
Hymns  (New  York,  1859),  referred  to  the  ancient  h3mins 
therein  represented  as  more  attractive  to  some  minds  than 
the  modern.  And  in  1861  Dr.  Henry  A.  Boardman  made  a 
special  point  of  including  versions  of  Greek  and  Latin 
hymns  in  his  Selection  of  Hymns  designed  as  a  Supple- 
ment to  the  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
(Philadelphia).  These  books  were  not  official,  but  the  per- 
sonality of  their  editors  being  what  it  was,  we  may  say 
that  the  status  of  the  Latin  hymn  was  thus  early  secured  in 
the  Congregational  and  Presbyterian  Churches  just  as  effec- 
tively and  far  more  peaceably  than  it  had  been  in  the 
Church  of  England. 

2.     Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church    (1859-1892) 

The  influence  of  the  Oxford  Movement  in  its  wider  sense 
was  naturally  first  felt  here  by  the  Episcopal  Church.  Some 
preparation  for  it  had  been  laid  by  the  high  church  party 
under  Bishop  Hobart.  In  1834  George  W.  Doane  edited 
the  first  American  reprint  of  Keble's  Christian  Year;  and  the 
amusingly  elementary  character  of  his  notes  implies  that  he 
regarded  the  main  area  of  Episcopalian  territory  as  virgin 

"See  chap,  ix,  part  iv,  I. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  545 

ground  to  be  cleared  for  the  Oxford  plow.  He  and  Croswell 
and  Coxe  in  their  hymns  and  poems  carried  forward  Keble's 
work  on  his  own  lines.  Historical,  doctrinal,  devotional, 
polemical,  writers  completed  the  preparation.  And  in  a  few 
years  the  Oxford  influence  set  in  like  a  strong  tide  that 
carried  the  Episcopal  Church  from  its  former  moorings 
to  the  position  it  occupies  today. 

These  changes  became  most  visible  in  that  Church's  wor- 
ship;— in  the  conversion  of  the  table  into  an  altar  at  the 
east  end  of  a  gothic  choir,  in  the  change  of  gown  into 
surplice  with  what  it  typified,  and  generally  in  the  multipli- 
cation of  services  and  their  reorganization  with  more  com- 
plicated ritual. 

Such  changes  even  in  their  earlier  stages  clearly  called 
for  a  Hymnody  more  germane  to  the  new  ideals  than  the 
Hymns  of  1827,  and  the  Select  metrical  Psalms  of  1832. 
But  owing  to  the  conflict  of  parties  no  authorized  hymnal 
was  practicable,  and  presumably  private  hymnals  such  as 
the  Oxford  Movement  multiplied  in  England,  would  not 
have  been  allowed  for  use  in  church  services  in  any  diocese. 
From  1832  to  1858  the  hymnal  activity  was  confined  to  the 
"Selections"  of  the  Evangelicals  designed  for  the  prayer- 
meeting  and  "lecture  room."  In  1859  appeared  the  only 
private  hymnal  of  liturgical  type,  Sacred  Hymns;  chiefly 
from  ancient  sources.  Arranged  according  to  the  seasons 
of  the  Church.  By  Frederick  Wilson,  Rector  of  S.  James 
the  Less  (Philadelphia:  Burns  and  Sieg).  Wilson  had 
come  from  an  English  parish,  and  his  book  consisted  mainly 
of  translations  from  Chandler  and  others  of  the  Oxford 
group.  Whether  he  was  permitted  to  use  it  has  not 
appeared. 

The  Hymns  for  Church  and  Home,  compiled  by  Bishop 
Burgess,  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  Dr.  Coxe,  Dr.  Howe  and  Prof. 
Wharton,  in  i860,  seems  to  have  been  intended  to  call  the 
attention  of  Convention  to  the  enlarged  resources  of  Hym- 
nody. It  had  28  versions  of  Latin  hymns,  and  19  of 
German,  but  the  larger  part  was  from  the  XVIIIth  century 


546  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Evangelical  school.  This  book  stimulated  the  already  wide- 
spread desire  for  an  improved  Hymnody.  Some  relief  was 
afforded  by  the  appearance  of  Hymns  ancient  and  modern, 
which  was  welcomed  by  high  churchmen,  reprinted^^  and 
licensed  for  use  in  several  dioceses ;  and,  more  generally,  by 
65  "additional"  hymns  hcensed  by  the  House  of  Bishops  in 
1865.  It  was  only  then  that  hymns  now  so  familiar  as 
"Sun  of  my  soul,"  "Abide  with  me"  and  "Jerusalem  the 
golden,"  were  introduced  to  Episcopal  churches.  A  closer 
conformity  to  the  spirit  and  letter  of  Hymns  ancient  and 
modern  characterized  Dr.  Batterson's  Church  Hymnal 
(Philadelphia,  1869) ;  and  from  the  same  source  the  tunes 
as  well  as  the  hymns  were  freely  drawn  upon  by  two  men 
who  were  beginning  their  important  work  for  congrega- 
tional praise  in  the  Episcopal  Church ; — Charles  L.  Hutchins 
in  his  The  Church  Hymnal  (Buffalo,  1870)  and  J.  Ireland 
Tucker  in  his  The  Parish  Hymnal  (New  York)  of  the  same 
year. 

But  the  general  desire  was  for  uniformity,  and  in  1872 
the  General  Convention  issued  Hymnal:  according  to  the 
use  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States  of  America.  Printed  under  the  authority  of  the 
General  Convention.  MDCCCLXXH.^'^  It  may  be  re- 
garded as  a  compromise  between  Metrical  Psalmody,  the 
Liturgical  and  the  Evangelical  Hymnodies.  Tate  and 
Brady's  New  Version  was  the  largest  contributor,  60  of 
their  versions  appearing  as  hymns.  Watts,  Wesley,  Mont- 
gomery, Neale,  Doddridge,  Steele,  Newton,  and  Heber, 
followed  in  the  order  named.  There  are  37  hymns  from  the 
Latin ;  and  almost  every  type  and  school  has  some  represen- 

*^By  C.  T.  Adams,  Philada.,  1866,  with  recommendation  by  Bishops 
Williams,  Atkinson,  Potter  and  Quintard ;  by  Lippincott,  Phila.,  with 
the  1868  Appendix ;  by  Pott  and  Amery,  New  York,  with  the  Appendix 
and  L.  C.  Biggs's  Supplement. 

**This  was  the  "Standard."  The  Hymnal  was  first  printed  in  1871 
(Lippincott)  as  part  of  a  report  to  the  General  Convention.  For  an 
annotated  edition,  «ee  Chas.  L.  Hutchins,  Annotations  on  the  Hymnal, 
Hartford,    1872. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  547 

tation  in  this  eclectic  book,  whose  character  was  unchanged 
in  the  revision  of  1874.  The  adoption  of  this  book  was 
reluctant  in  many  advanced  parishes  that  had  been  using 
Hymns  ancient  and  modern;  but  in  spite  of  local  conserva- 
tisms it  served  the  Church  till  the  appearance  of  The 
Hymnal  revised  and  enlarged  as  adopted  by  the  General 
Convention  of  The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1892: 
being  the  preliminary  report  of  the  Committee  on  the 
Hymnal  appointed  by  the  General  Convention  of  1886, 
modified  (Oxford:  University  Press). 

The  new  Hymnal  conforms  more  to  the  Hymns  ancient 
and  modern  pattern,  and  has  no  marked  features  of  its  own. 
The  selection  of  the  hymns  was  somewhat  suggested  by 
compromise  between  various  parties  and  schools  in  the 
Church,  none  of  which  it  appeared  to  satisfy.  The  editing 
of  the  book  reflected  no  lustre  on  those  concerned  in  it  and 
needless  mutilations  of  the  hymns  gave  offence  to  many. 
Published  without  tunes  The  Hymnal  has  gained  much  dis- 
tinction and  exercised  a  very  great  influence  on  American 
church  music  by  the  numerous  musical  settings  given  to  it 
by  private  enterprise.  That  of  Dr.  C.  L.  Hutchins  (1894) 
led  in  popularity;  that  of  J.  Ireland  Tucker  and  William 
W.  Rousseau  (1894)  closely  followed  it.  That  of  A.  H. 
Messiter  (1893)  embodied  the  boy-choir  traditions  of 
Trinity,  New  York.  That  of  James  H.  Darlington  (1897) 
sought  simple  congregational  tunes.  That  of  Dr.  Horatio 
Parker  (1903)  aimed  to  a\'oid  the  sentimental  or  part-song 
type  of  tune  which  some  of  the  earlier  settings  had  much 
fostered,  and  which  he  believed  had  hindered  the  improve- 
ment of  congregational  singing.  It  is  unquestionably  true 
that  while  these  musical  editions  had  gathered  about  the 
hymns  a  great  variety  of  the  better  types  of  church  tunes, 
they  showed  nevertheless  too  much  tendency  to  cater  to 
the  choir  rather  than  the  people,  and  failed  to  effect  all  the 
improvement  in  congregational  singing  that  seemed  prac- 
ticable.   It  is  however  to  be  remembered  that  the  Episcopal 


548  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Church  has  delayed  behind  all  others  in  putting  the  music 
into  the  pews. 

The  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  separated  from  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  in  1873  in  protest  against  Tractarian- 
ism,  and  organized  on  the  basis  of  the  "Proposed  Book" 
of  1785.^^  It  had  at  first  (230)  Hymns  recommended  [by 
Bishop  Cummins]  for  use  in  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church 
(Philadelphia,  1874),  selected  from  those  in  general  use. 
Its  Hymnal  Companion  to  the  Prayer  Book,  with  accom- 
panying tunes  (Philadelphia,  1885)  was  more  like  the 
Hymnal  then  used  in  the  Episcopal  Church  than  any  other, 
and  its  Communion  Hymns  were  not  any  more  colorless 
doctrinally.  This  book  served  until  extensively  revised  and 
republished  with  the  same  title  in  1907. 

3.     The  Liturgical  Controversy  in  the  German 
Reformed  Church   (1857) 

Under  the  influence  of  American  surroundings,  notably  of 
revivalism,  the  German  Reformed  Church  had  quite  de- 
parted from  such  liturgical  constitution  as  it  originally  had, 
when  John  W.  Nevin  caught  unexpectedly  from  a  casual 
reading  of  a  volume  of  the  Oxford  Tracts  "his  first  glimpse 
of  what  the  church  spirit  really  meant."  ^^  He  proceeded 
forthwith  to  those  studies  which  made  him  the  founder  of 
a  "Mercersburg  school"  of  theology,  and  the  leader  of  a 
movement  that  began  with  the  proposal  to  reinstate  The  old 
Palatinate  Liturgy,  but  soon  changed  into  a  proposed  re- 
construction of  the  Church  on  a  "primitive"  basis,  and  her 
equipment  with  a  liturgy  that  should  be  "in  the  fullest  sense 
of  the  word  an  altar  service,"  ^7  "and  not  simply  a  pulpit 
liturgy";  "churchly,  sacramental,  and  in  proper  measure 
also  priestly."  ^^    As  a  result  of  this  movement  A  Liturgy: 

*°Chap.  viii,  sect,  iv,  i. 

^Theo.  Appel,  The  Life  and  Work  of  Jofm  Williamson  Nevin, 
Philadelphia,  1889,  p.  88. 

"J-  W.  Nevin,  The  Liturgical  Question,  Philadelphia,  1862,  p.  28. 
""Ibid.,  p.  38. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  549 

or  order  of  Christian  worship  ( Philadelphia :  Lindsay  and 
Blakiston,  1857)  was  tentatively  allowed,  in  which  the  order 
of  worship  revolves  with  the  Christian  Year  around  "the 
mystical  presence  of  Christ  in  the  Holy  Eucharist,"  ^^  and 
every  office  and  act  turns  toward  the  altar.^°  Beside  the 
ancient  hymns  and  canticles  in  situ,  provision  is  made  for 
singing  hymns  "in  the  usual  manner,"  and  A  Selection  of 
Hymns  (104)  for  public  and  private  worship  is  appended, 
though  remote  indeed  from  both  the  scheme  and  sources  of 
the  worship.  There  are  but  two  hymns  for  the  Lord's 
Supper,  none  from  the  Hymnody  of  the  Latin  Church,  and 
no  recognition  of  the  church  year.  Watts  and  the  Evan- 
gelical school  prevail. 

The  revision  of  this  Liturgy,  after  some  years'  use,  pub- 
lished in  1867  as  An  order  of  worship  for  the  Reformed 
Church  (Philadelphia),  developed  the  full  heat  of  a  litur- 
gical controversy,  with  the  low  church  West  allying  itself 
with  the  non-liturgical  minority  in  the  East,  to  resist  ritual- 
ism. If  the  denomination  was  to  be  saved  at  all,  it  could 
only  be  by  toleration;  and  the  East  was  allowed  the  use  of 
the  Order  of  worship,  while  the  West  was  permitted  to 
make  a  low  church  one  of  its  own.  The  Hymns  for  the 
Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States  (Philadelphia:  Pub- 
lication Board,  1874)  was  a  Hymnal  Companion  to  the 
Order  of  Worship,  often  bound  up  with  it.  It  is  a  very 
choice  liturgical  hymn  book,  with  hyinns  provided  for  the 
Sundays  and  other  days  of  the  church  year.  By  contrast 
with  it  The  Reformed  Church  Hymnal:  with  tunes  (Cleve- 
land, 1878),  made  to  accompany  the  Western  Order  of 
Service,  suffers  greatly.  It  is  given  over  unduly  to  the 
Mason  and  Kingsley  school  of  music,  and  its  miscellaneous 
hymns  are  mutilated  to  fit  the  space  left  beneath  the  tunes. 
The  peace  movement  that  began  in  1878  effected  a  liturgical 
compromise,  as  expressed  in  The  Directory  of  worship  of 
1884.     A  church  hymnal  followed,  by  direction  of  Synod 

^'Ibid.,  p.  23. 
""Ibid.,  p.  24. 


550  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

in  1887  as  The  Hymnal  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the 
United  States  (Cleveland:  Publishing  House,  1890).  The 
book  is  liturgical  in  so  far  that  the  bulk  of  its  793  hymns 
are  grouped  under  the  seasons  of  the  church  year;  but 
the  hymns  are  of  every  sort,  and  much  of  the  music  is  of  the 
Sunday  school  type  represented  by  Bradbury.  Those  of 
liturgical  tastes  had,  however,  the  Hymns  of  1874  as  a 
permanent  possession. 

4.     The  new  Reformed  Dutch  Hymnody  (1868-1891) 

Modern  influences  were  brought  to  play  upon  the  Hym- 
nody of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  in  a  way  quite  peculiar. 
The  congregations  were  restive  under  Psalms  and  Hymns, 
and  were  prevented  by  church  law  from  adopting  private 
collections.  At  the  Synod  of  1868  no  less  than  four  manu- 
script hymn  books  were  laid  on  its  table  by  as  many  clergy- 
men who  had  compiled  them  and  who  requested  their 
authorization.  Under  this  stimulus  a  "Committee  on  Hym- 
nology"  was  appointed''^  who  prepared  Hymns  of  the 
Church:  with  tunes  (New  York:  Barnes,  1869)  and  the 
smaller  Hymns  of  Prayer  and  Praise  (Barnes,  1871)  for 
devotional  services.  The  committee.  Dr.  John  B.  Thomp- 
son, A.  G.  Vermilye  and  A.  R.  Thompson,  made  a  collection 
in  which  the  modern  types  of  hymns  were  well  represented 
with  selections  of  prose  Psalms  for  chanting.  The  musical 
editor,  U.  C.  Burnap,  made  what  would  now  be  regarded 
as  a  very  moderate  use  of  the  Anglican  church  music,  but  it 
was  too  far  advanced  for  a  very  backward  Church,  and 
suffered  the  ignominy  of  a  revision, — "putting  in  Lowell 
Mason  where  I  had  Dykes."  ^^  A  smaller  book,  compiled 
by  the  chairman  of  the  committee,  Christian  Praise  (New 
York:  Huntington  1870),  though  not  designed  for  use  in 
the  Dutch  Church,  was  authorized  in  1879. 

Mr.  Edwin  A.  Bedell,  an  Albany  organist,  submitted  to 

"C/.  Jno.  B.  Thompson,  "Hymns  of  the  Church"  jn  The  Christian 
Intelligencer  for  July  25,  1906. 

"'Letter  of  U.  C.  Burnap  to  the  present  writer. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  551 

the  Synod  a  manuscript  collection  of  hymns  and  tunes  of 
his  own  compilation.  It  was  a  preacher's  hymn  book  of 
some  1400  hymns,  but  after  some  600  hymns  had  been 
excised  by  a  committee  of  Synod  and  some  200  added,  it 
was  endorsed  by  the  Synod  of  1890,  though  left  in  the 
hands  of  compiler  and  publisher  to  their  private  profit.  It 
appeared  as  The  Church  Hymnary,  a  collection  of  Hymns 
and  tunes  for  public  worship.  Compiled  by  Edwin  A. 
Bedell  (New  York:  Merrill,  1891).  The  book  was  thor- 
oughly modern,  including  for  example  35  hymns  of  John 
Mason  Neale,  49  tunes  by  Dykes  and  40  by  Barnby,  and 
it  won  a  wide  acceptance  in  and  beyond  the  bounds  of  the 
Dutch  Church.  Its  very  size  and  scope  appealed  still  to 
preachers;  its  wealth  of  new  music  to  both  choir  and  people; 
it  was  a  skilfully  made  collection  in  spite  of  its  overcrowded 
page;  and  it  had  at  first  no  competitor  on  a  similar  scale 
and  of  equal  quality.  However  undesirable  the  Synodical 
endorsement  of  a  private  commercial  enterprise  may  have 
been,  the  Church  had  thus  a  more  modern  book  than  it  could 
possibly  have  made,  and  the  book  gained  a  circulation  and 
influence  outside  from  which  an  official  publication  and 
imprint  would  have  barred  it. 

5.    Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  (1866-1895) 

In  the  authorized  Hymnody  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
modern  influences  became  manifest  in  the  ill-fated  (Old 
School)  Hymnal  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Ordered  by 
the  General  Assembly  (Philadelphia:  Board  of  Publication, 
1866).  It  is  a  hymn  book  as  against  Psalms  and  Hymns. 
Prose  Psalms  are  set  to  chants,  and  the  creed  and  Lord's 
Prayer  are  given  for  recitation.  Its  576  hymns  were  a 
great  contrast  to  the  1290  of  the  Andover  book,  too  great 
for  the  ministry  to  welcome  then,  and  the  Assembly  ordered 
a  supplement.  It  ordered  also  an  index  of  texts,  but  the 
book  could  not  be  used  homiletically  with  good  effect.  The 
very  arrangement  of  the  hymns  in  5  groups,  General  Praise, 


552  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Church  Seasons,  Christian  Life,  Occasional  and  Miscel- 
laneous, implies  a  different  intention.  The  use  of  the  new 
liturgical  Hymnody  in  this  book  is  very  small,  but  there  are 
a  very  few  hymns  from  the  Latin.  This  was  the  first  of 
the  authorized  Presbyterian  hymnals  to  introduce  the  tunes. 
But  the  musical  setting  was  unsatisfactory  to  a  degree  that 
prevented  the  literary  contents  from  receiving  any  fair  test 
in  actual  use. 

After  the  Reunion  in  1870  the  Assembly  appointed  a 
committee  who  prepared  The  Presbyterian  Hymnal.  Phila- 
delphia: Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication  [1874].  It 
bore  many  marks  of  haste,  and  is  largely  the  work  of  Dr. 
J.  T.  Duryea,  to  whom  resort  was  had  by  a  committee  un- 
able to  agree  as  to  what  was  wanted.  The  classification  of 
the  hymns,  opening  with  "The  Call  to  Praise"  and  "The 
Response,"  "The  Call  to  Prayer"  and  "The  Response,"  and 
proceeding  through  the  articles  of  the  Apostles  Creed  to 
"Hymns  of  Occasion,"  makes  evident  that  the  book  was 
planned  as  a  manual  of  worship  rather  than  of  doctrine  or 
homiletics.  Dr.  Duryea  made  a  use  of  the  Latin  hymns 
hardly  if  at  all  less  than  that  of  the  Episcopal  Hymnal  of 
1872-74;  even  going  so  far  as  to  use  Caswall's  version 
(with  omission  of  one  verse)  of  the  Breviary  hymn  to 
"The  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus."  ^^  But  the  special  medium 
through  which  the  Oxford  influences  affected  that  Hymnal 
was  Hymns  ancient  and  modern,  many  copies  of  which  had 
been  brought  here  by  Presbyterian  tourists  abroad,  and 
which  was  familiar  already  in  many  cultivated  homes. 
From  this  book  numerous  hymns,  both  those  from  the 
Latin  and  English,  were  extracted :  among  the  latter,  such 
as  "Abide  with  me,"  "Jerusalem  the  golden,"  "Brief  life  is 
here  our  portion,"  "The  Church's  one  Foundation"  and 
"Saviour,  again  to  Thy  dear  Name  we  raise."  Hardly 
inferior  to  these  hymns  in  the  influence  they  have  exerted 
on  Presbyterian  Hymnody  were  the  then  altogether  novel 
tunes  of  the  Anglican  school  taken  from  Hymns  ancient 

'^Hymnal  of  1874;  no.  240. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  553 

and  modern,  such  as  "Innocents,"  "St.  Alban,"  "Horbury," 
"St.  Fulbert,"  "Hursley,"  "St.  Peter,"  "Hollingside,"  and 
"Eventide,"  The  older  English  tunes  in  the  Hymnal  of 
1874  were  in  most  cases  the  arrangements  of  them  made 
by  Monk  to  suit  the  ecclesiastical  tone  of  Hymns  ancient  and 
modern.  It  may  be  said  in  brief  that  through  the  Hymnal 
of  1874  Hymns  ancient  and  modern  greatly  enriched  and 
considerably  modified  Presbyterian  Hymnody,  and  that  as 
regards  the  hymn  tunes  its  influence  has  been  hardly  short 
of  revolutionary. 

The  Hymnal  was  not  without  its  rivals.  One  of  the  com- 
mittee, Dr.  James  O.  Murray,  had  joined  with  his  elder, 
Winthrop  S.  Oilman,  in  compiling  The  Sacrifice  of  Praise 
(New  York:  Scribner,  1869:  revised  ed.  1870:  musical 
ed.,  1872),  a  collection  of  616  hymns  marked  by  culture  and 
charm.  It  was  made  for  the  Brick  Church  of  New  York, 
but  deservedly  won  favor  in  other  congregations.  Dr. 
Edwin  F.  Hatfield  retired  from  the  committee  to  prepare 
The  Church  Hymn  Book,  with  tunes  (New  York:  Ivison, 
1872)  ;  and  Drs.  R.  D.  Hitchcock,  Zachary  Eddy  and  Philip 
Schaff  entered  the  lists  with  Hymns  and  Songs  of  Praise 
(New  York:  Randolph,  1874).  These  were  huge  collec- 
tions of  1416  and  1464  Hymns  respectively,  made  possible 
only  by  grouping  from  two  to  four  under  each  tune.  In 
making  so  elaborate  an  appeal  to  the  homiletical  instinct 
both  books  looked  backward,  and  were  soon  left  behind  in 
spite  of  a  pamphlet  war  conducted  in  their  interests.  But 
they  were  edited  with  a  care  and  hymnological  knowledge 
not  displayed  in  The  Hymnal;  and  Drs.  Hatfield  and  Schaff 
were  the  earliest  hymnologists,  in  any  real  sense,  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.^^ 

Dr.  Robinson,  who  had  made  hymn  books  for  so  many 


"'Hatfield's  The  Poets  of  the  Church  (New  York,  1884)  showed 
real  research.  Schaff's  German  hymn  books,  his  papers  on  Latin 
Hymns  (see  Literature  and  Poetry,  N.  Y.,  1890),  his  Christ  in  Song 
(New  York,  1870)  and  A  Library  of  Religious  Poetry  (with  A.  Oilman, 
New  York,  1881),  are  all  highly  esteemed. 


554  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

of  the  churches,  naturally  expected  to  edit  that  for  the 
reunited  Church.  Failing  to  come  to  agreement  with  the 
Hymnal  Committee,  he  published  his  own  Psalms  and 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  (New  York,  1875)  already 
noticed,  with  its  appeal  both  to  psalm  singers  and  the  lovers 
of  the  new  Hymnody.  This  he  followed  in  1878  by  A 
Selection  of  Spiritual  Songs  with  music  for  the  church  and 
the  choir  (New  York)  in  which  he  compromised  between 
"two  diverging  drifts  of  sentiment,"  ^^  the  old  love  for 
melody  and  refrain  and  a  newer  taste  for  the  Anglican  and 
German  choral  type.  His  later  books,  Laudes  Domini 
(1885)  ^"d  The  new  Laudes  Domini  (1892)  are  much 
more  pronouncedly  under  the  influence  of  the  Anglican 
school  of  Hymnody  and  church  music,  and  did  much  to 
extend  the  popularity  of  both  in  Presbyterian  and  Congre- 
gational churches. 

The  Hymnal  of  1874  had  survived  its  earlier  rivals,  and 
reached  a  circulation  of  half  a  million  copies.''^  But  it  was 
originally  a  carelessly  made  and  inadequate  collection,  al- 
though the  best  the  Church  had  made  and  authorized.  It 
was  allowed  to  linger  much  too  long,  until  its  continued 
use  became  a  strain  on  denominational  loyalty  and  a  detri- 
ment to  Congregational  Song.  Every  pastor  was  being 
pressed  by  agents  of  hymn  book  publishers,  and  the  number 
of  churches  which  turned  from  the  Assembly's  authoriza- 
tion to  the  market  to  find  their  praise  books  was  increasing 
with  every  year. 

To  regain  the  position  thus  sacrificed  was  impossible.  To 
regain  at  least  something  of  it,  the  only  course  left  open 
was  to  prepare  an  authorized  hymnal  that  might  make  its 
way  by  the  force  mainly  of  its  superiority  to  those  in  the 
market,  coupled  with  whatever  sanction  still  remained  in 
the  recommendation  of  the  Assembly. 

In  this  task  the  Board  of  Publication  took  the  initiative 
under  authority  to  revise  the  church  hymnal  committed  to 

""Preface. 

"'Ms.  records  of  Board  of  Publication. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  555 

it  in  1888;^^  and  in  1893  sought  and  obtained  the  approval 
of  the  Assembly  for  the  work  of  preparation  already 
begun.^*  The  whole  field  of  Hymnody  was  freshly  studied 
with  the  resources  of  the  new  Hymnology;  the  hymns  were 
chosen  in  the  interests  of  devotion  as  distinguished  from 
homiletics,  and  their  text  was  determined  with  a  scrupu- 
lousness that  had  been  more  common  in  literature  than  in 
Hymnody.  In  setting  the  hymns  a  large  use  was  made  of 
the  Anglican  music,  and  of  the  American  composers  de- 
veloped in  connection  with  the  musical  editions  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Hymnal  of  1892. 

The  new  book  appeared  as  The  Hymnal  published  by 
authority  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States  of  America.  The  Presby- 
terian Board  of  Publication  and  Sabbath-school  Work, 
Philadelphia,  i8p^.  It  sought  to  bring  forward  a  backward 
Church  to  the  van  of  progressive  Church  Song,  and  to  pre- 
pare a  church  book  unexcelled  for  utility,  beauty  and 
editorial  carefulness.  It  proved  at  once  a  menace  to  private 
publishing  interests.  The  publisher  of  Dr.  Robinson's 
series  planned  In  Excelsis  (New  York,  1897)  as  an  open 
competitor  on  a  lavish  scale,  with  a  close  imitation  in 
method,  arrangement,  and  outward  form.  But  against  all 
commercial  enterprise  The  Hymnal  established  a  new  stand- 
ard of  Church  Praise  and  reestablished  a  measure  of  church 
uniformity;  having  been  adopted,  up  to  the  time  of  its 
revision  in  191 1,  by  1880  congregations,  with  a  circulation 
of  322,000  copies.  The  denominational  equipment  for  the 
service  of  song  was  rounded  out  by  the  publication,  under 
the  same  editorial  auspices,  of  The  Chapel  Hymnal  (1898) 
and  The  School  Hymnal  (1899). 

The  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States 
(Southern)  has  responded  more  guardedly  to  modern  in- 
fluences. Its  Psalms  and  Hymns,  authorized  in  1866,  were 
ameliorated  by  the  allowance  of  Robinson's  Psalms  and 

'^''Minutes  of  General  Assembly,  1888,  pp.  71,  72. 
'^Minutes,  1893. 


556  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs,  and,  later,  R.  P.  Kerr's  Hymns 
of  the  Ages  (New  York,  1891).  Under  pressure  from 
the  Presbyteries  the  Assembly  of  1898  authorized  the  prep- 
aration of  The  new  Psalms  and  Hymns  published  by 
authority  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States,  A.  D.  igoi.  Richmond,  Va., 
Presbyterian  Committee  of  Publication.  Prepared  for  a 
body  tenacious  of  old  usages  and  strongly  evangelical,  the 
new  hymn  book  (Psalms  and  Hymns  in  name  only)  in- 
cludes a  large  appropriation  of  the  newer  types  of  hymns 
and  tunes  under  a  careful  editorship,  especially  of  the  music. 

The  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  was  less  con- 
scious of  the  Oxford  influences.  Its  own  Psalms  and  Hymns 
of  1845  ^i^d  a  collection  prepared  by  A.  J.  Baird  and 
authorized  in  1875,^^  were  supplemented  by  the  use  of 
revival  hymn  books;  and  in  1889  the  Assembly  adopted  a 
member  of  Dr.  Robinson's  "Spiritual  Song  Series"  {Spirit- 
ual Songs  for  Church  and  Choir),  republishing  it  as  The 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Hymnal  (Nashville,  n.  d.). 
Seventeen  years  later  that  body  and  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States  of  America  became  one. 

But  the  Oxford  influences  on  Presbyterian  Hymnody  did 
not  reach  their  maximum  in  the  authorized  Hymnody,  but 
in  The  Evangelical  Hymnal  of  Charles  Cuthbert  Hall  ( New 
York:  Barnes,  1880).  He  found  his  motive  in  a  critical 
judgment  of  hymns,  a  pronounced  churchliness,  and  a  rever- 
ence that  was  more  an  essence  than  a  grace;  and  he  found 
his  musical  inspiration  in  Joseph  Barnby's  setting  of  the 
advanced  Anglican  Hymnary.  His  close  addiction  to  An- 
glican models  did  not  appeal  to  very  many  in  his  own  de- 
nomination. The  Churchman^^^  on  the  contrary  regarded 
it  as  "the  richest  collection  for  church  worship  within 
reach,"  and  as  "far  surpassing"  the  Episcopal  Hymnal. 
Dr.  Leonard  W.  Bacon's  The  Church  Book  (New  York: 

"'See  B.  W.  McDonnold,  History  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church,  4th  ed.,  Nashville,  1899,  p.  597. 
'""October  8.  1884. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  557 

Appleton,  1883)  is  more  independent.  It  reverts  to  the 
"Psalms  and  Hymns"  model :  its  hymns  nevertheless  being 
chosen  and  arranged  in  the  interests  of  worship  as  dis- 
tinguished from  homiletics.  Dr.  M.  W.  Stryker's  Church 
Song  for  the  uses  of  the  House  of  God  (Biglow  and  Main), 
1889)  stands  alone  in  its  addiction  to  German  chorals,  and 
with  his  other  books  reveals  him  as  one  of  the  most  copious 
Presbyterian  hymn  writers.  Of  others  brought  forward  in 
modern  Presbyterian  hymn  books,  the  names  of  Aaron  R. 
Wolfe,  Robinson  P.  Dunn,  Hervey  D.  Ganse,  and  Mrs. 
Prentiss,  have  attained  a  moderate  recognition. 

6.     A  New  Type  of  Congregationalist  Hymnal 
(1887-1893) 

In  intended  contrast  to  the  voluminous  collections  of  Dr. 
Robinson  so  widely  used  came  the  first  of  a  series  of  hymn 
books  by  Charles  H.  Richards,  Christian  Praise  (later  Songs 
of  Christian  Praise,  New  York,  1880),  and  the  Oberlin 
The  Manual  of  Praise  (Oberlin,  1880;  followed  by  The 
new  Manual  of  Praise,  1901).  The  books  represented  a 
conviction  that  a  smaller  collection  fulfilled  the  needs  of 
worship,  but  were  dominated  neither  by  the  literary  nor 
liturgical  motive.  They  sought  rather  the  average  taste 
and  attainment.  The  musical  standard  of  the  Oberlin  book 
was  that  of  Mason  and  Bradbury :  Dr.  Richards'  main- 
tained a  survival  of  the  "parlor  music"  era  mingling  with 
the  Anglican  tunes. 

From  experiments  made  at  Providence  in  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  Anglican  tunes  and  a  more  severe  standard  in 
the  choice  of  hymns  grew  up  Hymns  of  the  Faith  with 
Psalms  (Boston:  Houghton,  Mifflin  and  Co.,  1887)  edited 
by  George  Harris,  W.  J.  Tucker  and  E.  K.  Glezen.  Its 
form  and  open  typography,  its  prose  Psalter  set  to  Anglican 
chants,  its  "more  discriminating  judgment  of  the  vast  num- 
ber of  hymns  found  in  former  collections,"  its  arrangement 
of  the  hymns  under  the  articles  of  the  Apostles'   Creed, 


558  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

and  its  Anglican  music,  infused  for  the  first  time  the  appeal 
of  culture  permeated  by  churchliness  into  the  note  of  Con- 
gregationalist  Praise  in  America.  If  adaptive  rather  than 
originative,  Hymns  of  the  Faith  led  the  way  in  the  move- 
ment to  improve  Church  Song  in  a  denomination  that  had 
somehow  failed  to  maintain  the  highest  standard  of  out- 
ward reverence  in  worship  or  to  develop  the  amenities  of 
sanctified  culture. 

As  beautiful  in  its  way,  and  even  more  frank  in  its 
recognition  of  the  "far  superior"  spiritual  quality  of  the 
new  Anglican  music,  was  the  last  important  Congregation- 
alist  hymnal  of  the  century,  The  Plymouth  Hymnal,  edited 
by  Lyman  Abbott  (New  York:  the  Outlook  Co.,  1893),  so 
named  as  in  proud  succession  to  Mr.  Beecher's  Plymouth 
Collection.  Although  rich  in  liturgical  materials  and  sug- 
gestion, the  book  gives  an  impression  of  a  literary  rather 
than  a  liturgical  motive.  It  aims  to  embody  the  changes 
of  doctrine  and  emphasis  that  have  passed  over  Puritan 
theology  and  into  Christian  experience,  and  to  stimulate 
the  new  aggressive  mood  of  the  Christian  life.  It  may  be 
that  these  novelties  hindered  the  immediate  circulation  of 
a  book  whose  editing  and  format  were  fitted  to  be  a  model. 
None  the  less  it  was  in  accord  with  the  tendency  of  the 
time.  And  something  of  its  spirit  and  even  of  its  manner 
passed  into  The  Pilgrim  Hymnal,  which  may  be  held  to 
represent  the  advanced  Hymnody  of  XXth  century  Con- 
gregationalism. 

7.     The  Baptists  Maintain  the  Homiletical  Type 
TILL  THE  Century's  End 

American  Baptists  as  a  body  represent  the  type  of  mind 
and  experience  least  open  to  such  influences  as  emanated 
from  Oxford  and  most  independent  of  liturgical  considera- 
tions. The  Baptist  Hymn  and  Tune  Book  (Philadelphia: 
Publication  Society,  1871)  is  a  very  voluminous  evangelical 
hymn  book,  and  would  have  been  substantially  the  same  if 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  559 

Hymns  ancient  and  modern  had  not  yet  appeared:  it  was 
indeed  very  recent.  The  same  thing  is  true  of  The  Baptist 
Praise  Book:  for  congregational  singing  (Barnes  and  Co., 
1872),  edited  by  a  company  of  divines,  headed  by  Richard 
Fuller.  The  one  with  975,  the  other  with  131 1,  hymns, 
are  eclectic  rather  than  discriminating,  and  doubtless  homi- 
letic  rather  than  liturgical. 

The  second  hymnal  of  the  American  Baptist  Publication 
Society  was  The  Baptist  Hymnal  (Philadelphia:  1883). 
Beyond  a  reduction  of  the  number  of  hymns  from  the  975 
of  the  The  Baptist  Hymn  Book  to  703,  it  represents  less  of 
an  effort  to  improve  the  standard  of  Hymnody  than  a  wish 
to  gratify  all  parties.  If  the  new  Anglican  Hymnody  is 
represented,  so  is  "Fanny  Crosby"  by  17  hymns.  If  Dykes 
has  19  tunes  and  Barnby  8,  Lowell  Mason  has  76  and 
W.  H.  Doane  (one  of  the  editors)  no  less  than  35.  The 
hymnal  followed  the  pattern  set  by  Dr.  Robinson's  earlier 
books,  but  with  a  literary  and  devotional  standard  made 
more  "popular"  by  its  large  use  of  "Gospel  Hymns." 

Dr.  E.  H.  Johnson  shared  in  the  compilation  of  The 
Baptist  Hymnal,  but  could  not  have  controlled  it.  He  be- 
came in  time  the  responsible  editor  of  the  Publication 
Society's  third  book,  with  the  fancy  name  of  Sursum  Corda 
(Philadelphia,  1898).  He  was  now  certainly  an  advocate 
of  the  best  types  of  modern  hymns,  as  against  Gospel 
Songs  and  much  of  the  older  Evangelical  Hymnody,  and 
an  enthusiast  for  the  superiority  of  Anglican  church  music. 
For  his  856  hymns  he  provided  and  printed  on  greatly  over- 
crowded pages  no  less  than  1346  tunes,  that  every  hymn 
might  have  a  setting  of  the  Anglican  standard.  Sursum 
Corda  did  not  gain  the  popularity  and  use  of  its  predecessor. 
A  good  purpose,  carefully  carried  out  with  infinite  pains, 
no  doubt  overreached  itself.  It  is  indeed  easier  to  plan, 
within  the  walls  of  a  Seminary,  the  elevation  of  the  literary 
and  musical  standards  of  a  Church's  devotion,  than  to 
change  the  habits  and  tastes  of  a  great  body  of  people  who 
do  not  share  the  Seminary  advantages. 


56o  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

8.     The  Lutherans  Develop  a  Churchly  Hymnody 
(1863-1899) 

The  many  years'  conflict  which  weakened  and  divided 
American  Lutheranism  was  in  substance  the  variance  be- 
tween high  church  and  low  church  ideals.  Augsburg 
Lutheranism  had  much  in  common  with  Anglicanism;  and 
in  the  Lutheran  as  in  the  Episcopal  Church  the  controversy 
was  inevitably  liturgical.  The  General  Council  was  formed, 
after  the  disintegrations  of  the  Civil  War  period,  of  the 
conservative  and  strict  churchly  elements.  One  of  its  con- 
stituent bodies,  the  Ministerium  of  Pennsylvania,  had  al- 
ready entered  upon  the  work  of  liturgical  reconstruction 
on  historic  lines;  having  in  1863  appointed  a  committee  to 
prepare  a  Church  Book,  "with  an  ample  Selection  of  Hymns, 
with  special  reference  to  the  doctrine  and  usages  of  our 
Church."  ^"^  The  Hymn  section  appeared  tentatively  as 
Hymns  for  the  use  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church 
(Philadelphia,  1865),  and  was  the  work  of  B.  M. 
Schmucker  and  Frederic  M.  Bird;  the  lattfer  the  most  dili- 
gent and  capable  of  a  small  group  of  Americans  who  had 
undertaken  the  systematic  study  of  Hymnology.  The  Eng- 
lish Church  Book  appeared  at  Philadelphia  in  1868,  con- 
taining 588  hymns;  being  at  once  a  liturgy  and  a  hymnal; 
and  again  in  1872,  with  music  arranged  for  the  use  of 
congregations,  by  Harriet  Reynolds  Krauth.  The  hymnal 
is  at  once  Lutheran  and  catholic.  German  Hymnody  is 
represented  by  167  translations,  the  Greek  by  11,  the  Latin 
by  42.  The  remainder  is  an  admirable  representation  of  all 
periods  of  English  Hymnody,  including  the  Anglican,  but 
with  the  foremost  place  given  to  Watts  and  Charles  Wesley. 
There  was  at  the  time  no  American  hymnal  so  fully  repre- 
sentative of  the  development  of  Hymnody,  so  discriminating 
in  selection,  so  scholarly  in  treatment.  In  Miss  Krauth's 
musical  setting  the  German  choral  is  fittingly  preeminent, 

^"Preface  to  Hymns  of  1865.  See  also  A.  Spaeth,  "Liturgical  De- 
velopment of  the  Ministerium,"  Lutheran  Church  Review,  Jan.  1898, 
p.  n6. 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  561 

supplemented  by  the  English  tunes  most  in  accord  with  its 
spirit;  and  the  concessions  to  popular  demand  are  compara- 
tively slight.  English-speaking  Lutheranism  had  at  last 
expressed  itself  in  a  hymnal  worthy  of  its  own  traditions/^ ^ 
and  on  a  plane  where  no  other  American  denomination 
could  hope  to  meet  it.  Beside  this  Lutheran  hymnal  of 
1868  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Hymnal  of  1872  seems  like 
an  amateur  performance,  and  its  musical  settings  of  even 
date  with  Miss  Krauth's  like  an  appeal  to  popular  taste. 
A  supplement  of  62  hymns,  bringing  the  whole  number  to 
650,  was  added  in  the  1891  adaptation  of  the  Church  Book 
to  the  new  "Common  Service." 

After  the  Civil  War  the  Synod  of  the  Confederate  States 
remained  apart  under  a  new  name,  and  printed  its  own 
liturgy  as  The  Book  of  Worship.  Published  by  order  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  General  Synod  in  North  America 
(Columbia,  S.  C,  1867).  The  465  hymns  of  this  book  have 
little  or  nothing  to  distinguish  them  from  the  hymn  books 
of  surrounding  Evangelical  denominations.  The  diminished 
General  Synod  also  revised  its  Hymnody  on  the  basis  of 
the  Hymns,  selected  and  original  of  1852  as  Book  of  Wor- 
ship, published  by  the  General  Synod  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  the  United  States  (Philadelphia:  Board  of  Pub- 
lication, 1871).  This  was  simply  a  hymn  book,  preceded 
by  an  order  of  worship  covering  some  eight  pages,  and 
followed  by  doctrinal  and  governmental  standards.  The 
hymns,  both  by  omissions  and  additions,  show  growth  in 
discrimination,  but  none  toward  churchliness. 

The  General  Synod  was  nevertheless  stirred  by  the  re- 
vival of  church  life  and  desire  for  Lutheran  unity  that  was 
in  the  air,  and  joined  with  the  Southern  Synod  and  General 
Council  in  the  preparation  of  The  Common  Service  for  the 
use  of  Evangelical  Lutheran  congregations  (1888)  on  the 
basis  of  the  "common  consent  of  the  pure  Lutheran  liturgies 
of  the  XVIth  century."    For  binding  up  with  The  Common 

'""For  a  review  of  the  hymns  and  music  of  the  Church  Book,  see 
"The  Service  of  Song"  in  The  Penn  Monthly,  Dec.  1872. 


562  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Service  as  its  own  Book  of  Worship,  two  committees  of  the 
General  Synod  of  1893  prepared  Hymns  and  Tunes  ( 1899). 
It  is  a  modern  collection,  still  strong  in  the  XVIIIth  century 
Evangelical  Hymnody,  and  with  more  of  the  Anglican  than 
the  Lutheran  hymns.  In  the  tunes  the  Lowell  Mason  and 
parlor  music  type,  as  well  as  the  Anglican,  are  largely  repre- 
sented; the  German  chorals  more  sparingly.  The  church 
year  is  much  more  liberally  provided  for,  and  the  sacra- 
mental tone  is  somewhat  higher. 

The  largest  of  Lutheran  bodies  in  America  is  the  Synod- 
ical  Conference  organized  in  1872  on  the  strictest  Lutheran 
basis,  and  dominated  by  the  powerful  Synod  of  Missouri. 
Originally  almost  exclusively  German,  when  a  beginning 
was  made  in  establishing  English  services,  a  little  book  of 
Hymns  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  (St.  Louis, 
1886)  served;  its  33  hymns  being  all  translations  from  the 
German.  In  1889  followed  Evangelical  Lutheran  Hymn- 
Book.  By  authority  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Synod  of 
Missouri  and  other  States  (Baltimore)  ;  enlarged  and  bound 
up  with  The  Common  Service  in  1893.  This  is  the  most 
distinctively  Lutheran  of  all  the  hymn  books;  no  less  than 
209  of  its  450  hymns  being  translations  of  German  Lutheran 
hymns  in  metres  permitting  the  use  of  the  associated  chorals. 
With  the  adoption  of  The  Common  Service  by  the  Missouri 
Synod,  the  project  of  uniting  English-speaking  Lutheranism 
in  a  common  Hturgical  worship  was  achieved,  leaving  the 
further  project  of  a  common  hymnal  for  fulfilment  in  the 
XXth  century. 

The  course  of  Lutheran  Hymnody,  as  we  have  followed 
it,  makes  plain  why  that  Church  has  done  so  little  in  the 
way  of  acclimating  the  old  Lutheran  hymns  and  chorals  in 
other  denominations.  The  English-speaking  congregations 
wished  to  use  the  hymns  of  their  American  neighbors,  and 
even  in  adopting  for  church  use  the  versions  of  German 
hymns  by  Miss  Winkworth,  Mills,  Massie  and  others,  they 
have  been  followers  rather  than  leaders.  American  Luther- 
anism presents  a  curious  case  of   an   immigrant   Church 


THE  OXFORD  REVIVAL  563 

merging  its  inheritance  and  traditions  in  its  new  surround- 
ings until  spurred  by  the  pressure  of  new  immigrations  to 
recover  what  it  had  lost.  And  it  may  be  that  the  real 
Lutheran  influence  on  American  Hymnody  lies  in  the  future. 

9.     Anglican  Hymnody  Accommodated  to  the  "New 
Church"  (1863-1911) 

The  influence  of  Anglican  ideals  upon  the  New  Church 
in  America  showed  itself  in  the  Rev.  Frank  Sewall's  The 
Christian  Hymnal  (Philadelphia:  Lippincott,  1867),  espe- 
cially as  bound  up  with  his  Book  of  holy  OMces  as  A  Prayer- 
Book  and  Hymnal  for  the  use  of  the  New  Church  (1867). 
Its  very  large  use  of  Hymns  ancient  and  modern  was  not- 
able at  that  date,  as  was  its  addiction  to  versions  of  German 
hymns  with  their  chorals.  Sewall  was  also  a  member  of 
the  committee  compiling  The  Book  of  Worship:  prepared 
for  the  use  of  the  New  Church,  by  order  of  the  General 
Convention  (New  York,  1876),  including  chants,  anthems 
and  153  hymns  with  tunes.  In  this  the  hturgy  was  much 
more  independent  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  and  the 
Latin  and  German  hymns  were  less  conspicuous;  but  even 
so  there  were  more  hymns  from  Hymns  ancient  and  modern 
than  from  the  Hymns  of  the  English  New  Church  Confer- 
ence. The  collection  was  rather  meagre,  and  some  congre- 
gations had  recourse  to  the  English  hymn  book. 

Sewall  was  the  leading  spirit  in  the  preparation  of  a 
new  collection.  The  Magnificat:  compiled  for  the  use  of 
the  Neiv  Church  by  a  committee  of  the  General  Conven- 
tion (New  York,  1893).  His  tastes  and  preferences  as 
exhibited  in  The  Christian  Hymnal,  and  his  method  of 
providing  a  New  Church  Hymnody  by  using  that  of  the 
"old"  Church,  with  necessary  modifications  of  text,  largely 
dominated  The  Magnificat.  Sewall  was  chairman,  once 
more,  of  the  committee  that  prepared  the  "revised  and 
enlarged"  edition  of  191 1  (New  York:  Board  of  Publn.), 
deserving  to  be  called  a  new  book,  yet  retaining  many  char- 
acteristics of  The  Christian  Hymnal  of  1867.     The  New 


564  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

Church  presents  the  interesting  case  of  a  man  fitting  himself 
for  leadership  in  the  Church  Song  of  his  denomination, 
pursuing  high  ideals  musical,  literary  and  liturgical,  and 
finding  his  leadership  accepted  through  half  a  century.  An 
advancing  ideal  has  also  distinguished  the  Sunday  school 
Hymnody  of  the  New  Church,  from  the  simplicities  of 
Sewall's  The  Welcome  (Philada.,  1879)  through  The 
Hosanna  (New  York,  1878)  and  The  new  Hosanna  (New 
York,  1902). 

An  examination  of  New  Church  hymn  books  makes  it 
evident  that  the  contributions  from  within  are  inadequate 
to  its  needs.  No  doubt  its  method  of  adapting  hymns  from 
without  to  its  own  ends  by  eliminating  "every  expression  of 
false  doctrine"  ^^^  is,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Unitarians,  trying 
to  those  who  care  for  the  integrity  of  these  hymns. 

'"^Preface  of  1911. 


CHAPTER    XI 
TWENTIETH  CENTURY  HYMNODY 

I 
THE  INFLUENCES  THAT  HAVE  MOULDED  IT 

We  have  now  studied  the  development  in  form  and  sub- 
stance of  the  EngHsh  Hymn  as  it  took  the  place  of  the 
Metrical  Psalm  in  the  Congregational  Song  of  English- 
speaking  Protestantism,  and  have  traced  up  to  the  XXth 
century  the  growth  and  upbuilding  of  the  general  body  of 
this  Church  Hymnody.  It  remains  only  to  consider  our 
present-day  Hymnody,  as  representing  the  latest  stage  of 
this  development. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Church  Hymnody  had  begun 
to  take  shape  before  the  end  of  the  XVIIth  century,  but  that 
the  Hymns  of  Dr.  \A'atts.  in  the  first  decade  of  the  XVIIIth, 
did  so  much  to  establish  its  form,  and  contributed  so  much 
to  its  substance,  as  to  make  it  the  main  basis  of  our  modern 
Church  Hymnody.  The  seed  Watts  planted  sprang  up  and 
was  cultivated  by  many  hands;  and  upon  the  new  growth 
the  powerful  influences  of  the  Great  Revival  began  to  play 
before  the  middle  of  the  XVIIIth  century,  imparting  new 
color  and  variant  forms  to  the  original  stock.  The  Hym- 
nody of  the  Calvinistic  side  of  the  Revival  and  an  infusion, 
at  first  small  but  ever  growing,  of  the  Hymnody  of  its 
Methodist  side,  coalesced  with  the  hymns  of  Watts  and  his 
school  to  constitute  a  general  body  of  Church  Hymnody, — 
that  already  designated  as  the  XVIIIth  century  Evangelical 
Hymnody. 

The  Hymnody  was  not  originally  conceived  of  as  super- 
565 


566  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

seding  the  body  of  metrical  psalms  then  in  use  but  as  sup- 
plementing it.  It  arose  out  of  the  conviction  that  the  songs 
of  the  Christian  Church  should  embody  not  only  the 
prophecy  of  the  Gospel  in  David  but  also  its  fulfilment  in 
Christ,  and  it  was  hence  evangelical  in  motive.  It  was  to 
bear  something  of  the  same  relation  to  the  New  Testament 
the  Psalmody  had  borne  to  the  Old,  and  was- hence  still 
Scriptural  in  method.  It  was  to  correspond  with  the  doc- 
trines of  salvation  preached  from  the  pulpits,  and  was  hence 
theological  in  substance  and  form.  The  metrical  psalms 
still  remained  to  meet  in  large  measure  the  needs  of  devo- 
tion, and  hence  the  more  special  function  of  the  Hymnody 
was  homiletical. 

Upon  this  earlier  Hymnody,  as  thus  conceived  and  ex- 
pressed, there  have  played  through  some  two  centuries  all 
those  forces  and  influences  that  on  the  one  hand  give  con- 
tinuity to  Christianity  and  on  the  other  tend  to  modify 
Christian  thought  and  life,  church  worship  and  activities. 
And  so  when  we  turn  to  the  Church  Hymnody  of  the  present 
day,  and  compare  it  with  the  earlier  Hymnody,  we  see  that 
it  still  stands  on  the  basis  laid  for  it  in  the  XVIIIth  century, 
and  that  a  considerable  though  steadily  diminishing  nucleus 
of  XVIIIth  century  hymns  testifies  to  the  continuity  of  its 
development.  We  see  also  on  the  other  hand  that  in  every 
one  of  the  respects  just  mentioned — motive,  method,  sub- 
stance, form,  function — our  Church  Hymnody  has  been 
modified  by  the  forces  and  influences  that  have  played  upon 
it. 

These  influences,  as  we  have  studied  them,  have  shown 
themselves  to  fall  mainly  under  four  types, — revival, 
literary,  liturgical,  and  doctrinal;  and  all  four  types  of 
influences,  though  in  themselves  more  or  less  modified  by 
present  day  conditions  and  tendencies,  continue  to  operate 
in  the  XXth  century,  conducing  still  further  to  revise  and 
modify  the  Hymnody,  and  giving  to  XXth  century  Hym- 
nody some  features  that  are  distinguishable  even  from  the 
later  XlXth  century  Hymnody. 


TWENTIETH   CENTURY   HYMNODY       567 

II 

HOW  FAR  AFFECTED  BY  MODERN 
EVANGELISM 

The  Revival  Influence  was  the  first  to  affect  the  Hym- 
nody,  and  has  affected  it  in  the  same  way  from  the  XVIIIth 
century  Revival  to  the  latest  evangelism.  The  Methodist 
Movement  modified  the  ideal  of  the  Hymn,  and  created 
the  Evangelistic  Hymn,  and  each  succeeding  revival  move- 
ment has  turned  from  the  established  Church  Hymnody 
and  created  an  independent  body  of  Spiritual  Song  with  a 
fresher  warmth  and  an  immediate  appeal  to  popular  taste. 
And  then  out  of  each  successive  contribution  of  revival  song 
a  proportion,  larger  or  smaller,  has  ultimately  found  its 
way  into  the  permanent  Hymnody  of  the  Church.  Both  of 
these  processes — the  creation  and  the  winnowing — have 
been  already  traced  up  to  the  present  time. 

In  recent  years  two  facts  have  militated  against  the  ad- 
mission of  current  evangelistic  songs  into  the  Church  Hym- 
nody. One  is  the  inferior  quality  of  the  songs  in  them- 
selves, giving  them  if  any  the  most  ephemeral  popularity: 
the  other  the  strictness  with  which  any  such  as  attain 
popularity  are  guarded  as  copyright  property.  Indeed  it  is 
only  now,  as  the  copyrights  on  the  "Moody  and  Sankey 
songs"  are  beginning  to  expire,  that  some  few  of  the  best 
of  them  appear  in  one  or  another  hymnal  intended  for 
church  use. 

Ill 
ITS  MORE  EXACTING  LITERARY  STANDARD 

The  Literary  Movement  was  at  heart  a  protest  against  the 
theological  conception  of  the  Hymn  and  the  didacticism  of 
the  earlier  hymns.  But  it  was  inevitable  that  the  influences 
of  literary  culture  should  play  upon  the  Hymnody,  just  as 
they  had  done  upon  the  earlier  Psalmody,  that  they  should 
raise  a  literary  standard,  and  by  winnowing  and  adding, 
should  develop  a  body  of  more  poetic  hymns. 


568  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

In  recent  years  the  literary  tests  applied  to  XVIIIth 
century  hymns  have  tended  to  grow  more  exacting/  and 
many  once  familiar  are  passing  out  of  use  for  no  reason 
other  than  their  unsatisfying  craftmanship.  In  filling  the 
gap  thus  created  by  the  exclusion  of  older  material  the 
literary  motive  effected  long  ago  an  improved  expression  of 
the  recognized  hymn  form;  it  now  tends  greatly  to  widen 
the  definition  of  the  Hymn  itself  by  annexing  to  the  domain 
of  Hymnody  numerous  religious  lyrics  heretofore  not  re- 
garded as  within  the  definition  of  liturgical  poetry.  In- 
stances of  this  are  to  be  found  in  the  ballad-like  "O  little 
town  of  Bethlehem"  of  Bishop  Brooks,  and  in  the  intense 
and  generally  subjective  lyrics  of  Miss  Rossettl.  It  has 
already  become  somewhat  difficult  to  define  the  distinction 
between  the  Hymn  and  the  religious  lyric.  The  (American) 
Methodist  Hymnal  of  1905  has  gone  out  of  its  way  to 
secure  Dr.  Holland's  "There's  a  star  in  the  sky,"  and 
Lanier's  "Into  the  woods  my  Master  went,"  and  other 
current  lyrics.  And  to  the  Presbyterians  belongs  the  dis- 
tinction of  introducing  into  the  hymn  book  Tennyson's 
"Sunset  and  evening  star,"  whose  immediate  acceptance  by 
all  the  Churches  is  itself  significant. 

In  the  Anglican  Church  the  growth  of  the  literary  motive 
is  still  somewhat  impeded  by  the  liturgical.  The  new 
edition  of  Hymns  ancient  and  modern  ( 1904)  is  still  heavily 
weighted  with  the  dull  and  lifeless  verse  provided  to  cover 
saints'  days  and  other  times  and  seasons.  Its  great  rival, 
Church  Hymns  (new  edition,  1903)  has  more  literary 
brightness  and  much  more  scrupulous  concern  for  the 
authors'  text.  But  in  1906  appeared  a  fresh  collection,  at 
once  an  extreme  Anglican  and  a  literary  hymn  book, — 
The  English  Hymnal  with  tunes  (Oxford:  the  University 
Press,  1906).  It  aimed  to  present  "the  best  hymns  in  the 
English  language,"  and  gave  many  new  versions  of  ancient 
and  foreign  hymns.     Free  use  is  made  of  Robert  Bridges' 

'For  a  vigorous  protest  see  Thos.  Wright,  Augustus  M.  Toplady, 
London,  191 1,  preface. 


TWENTIETH    CENTURY    HYMNODY       569 

Yattendon  Hymnal;  and  of  the  six  compilers  no  less  than 
four  (W.  J.  Birkbeck,  Athelstan  Riley,  T.  A.  Lacey,  and 
Percy  Dearmer)  prove  to  be  translators  with  the  literary 
touch.  Among  XXth  century  men  of  letters  who  appear  in 
it  as  hymn  writers  are  Laurence  Housman,  Arthur  C.  Ben- 
son, Gilbert  K.  Chesterton  ("O  God  of  earth  and  altar"), 
and  Rudyard  Kipling,  whose  "God  of  our  fathers,  known 
of  old"  has  attained  considerable  vogue  as  a  hymn.  With 
these  may  be  grouped  Canon  Scott  Holland  ("Judge  eternal, 
throned  in  splendor")  and  Arthur  C.  Ainger,  whose  "God 
is  working  His  purpose  out"  bids  fair  to  attain  a  great 
success. 

The  English  Hymnal  is  notable  for  its  charming  format, 
the  width  and  freedom  of  its  range,  the  unconventional  use 
of  carol  and  traditional  as  well  as  plain  song  melodies,  and  its 
exceptional  scholarship.  Handicapped  by  extreme  doctrine, 
it  has  created  none  the  less  a  decided  impression  of  novel 
charm,  and  can  hardly  fail  to  have  a  permanent  influence 
on  Anglican  Hymnody.  The  Oxford  Hymn  Book.  Ox- 
ford: at  the  Clarendon  Press,  ipo8,  characterized  by  The 
Spectator  as  "a  very  noteworthy  collection  of  noble 
hymns,"  ^  may  be  regarded  as  a  protest  in  some  sort  against 
certain  tendencies  of  the  literary  movement; — aiming  at 
"simplicity,  directness  and  genuineness  of  religious  feeling," 
and  the  avoidance  "of  cheap  sentiment,  of  conventional  and 
rhetorical    form,   and  of   weak  and  honeyed   phrase."  ^ 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  literary  level  of  recent 
hymn  books  as  a  whole  has  been  greatly  raised,  and  it  can 
hardly  be  said  that  the  devotional  level  has  suffered  from 
that  cause.  The  contempt  and  disregard  of  Hymnody  by 
literary  critics  has  so  far  yielded  that  the  appearance  of  a 
three-column  review  of  The  English  Hymnal  in  the  prin- 
cipal literary  organ  of  England^  does  not  now  occasion 
any  surprise. 

'For  November  21,   1908. 

^Preface,  p.  vi. 

*The  Athenaeum  for  September  29,  1906. 


570  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

IV 

ITS  REVERSION  TO  A  MOTIVE  MORE  STRICTLY 
DEVOTIONAL 

The  Liturgical  Movement,  to  some  extent  from  the  be- 
ginning, and  in  later  years  very  markedly,  has  shown  itself 
as  divisive  rather  than  unifying  in  its  effects  upon  Church 
Hymnody.  The  various  forces  that  are  always  working  to 
revise  and  modify  that  Hymnody  have  in  these  latter  days 
come  under  subjection  to  what  seems  the  irresistible  reli- 
gious trend  of  our  times,  that  of  unification:  the  inherited 
area  of  Hymnody  characteristic  of  each  denomination  con- 
sequently tending  to  shrink,  and  the  body  of  hymns  which 
all  alike  sing  in  common  tending  to  enlarge.  Until  now 
the  hymns  of  the  English-speaking  Churches  present  a  strik- 
ing testimony  to  the  spiritual  unity  of  these  Churches.  To 
this  the  Hymnody  of  the  advanced  Anglican  school,  whether 
we  choose  to  regard  it  as  Catholic  or  sectarian,  continues  to 
present  itself  as  the  most  conspicuous  exception.  G.  R. 
Woodward's  Songs  of  Syon  ( 1904)  was  compiled  only  "for 
the  faithful"  as  distinguished  from  "the  enquirers  after 
truth."  George  H.  Palmer's  The  Hymner,  containing  trans- 
lations from  the  Sarum  Breviary,  together  with  sundry 
sequences  and  processions  (Plainsong  Society,  1904),  and 
The  new  OMce  Hymn  Book  of  J.  F.  W.  Bullock  and 
C.  J.  Ridsdale,  appearing  in  complete  form  in  1908,  repre- 
sent a  party  and  not  a  church.  The  English  Hymnal,  whose 
literary  distinction  has  been  noticed  claims  that  "it  is  not  a 
party  book,"  ^  but  it  did  provide  for  the  extreme  party 
metrical  prayers  for  the  dead,  and  hymns  invoking  the 
intercession  of  the  Virgin  Mary^  and  sundry  saints;  so  that 

"Preface,  p.  iii. 

'  "For  the  faithful  gone  before  us 

May  the  holy  Virgin  pray."    Hy.  218,  stanza  6. 
"Jesu's  tender  Mother, 
Make  thy  supplication 
Unto  him  who  chose  thee 
At  his  Incarnation."     Hy.  213,  stanza  4. 


TWENTIETH   CENTURY   HYMNODY       571 

it  was  prohibited  or  pronounced  against  by  several  bishops 
and  both  archbishops.^  In  settlement  of  the  issue  raised, 
an  abridged  edition  appeared  in  March,  1907,  omitting 
five^  and  amending  four  hymns. ^  This  settlement  was 
hailed  by  Canon  Scott  Holland  as  "A  truce  of  God,"  ^^  but 
it  was  the  opinion  of  others^ ^  that  if  the  excision  had  ex- 
tended to  some  score  of  hymns  The  English  Hymnal,  with 
"its  irresistible  merits"  and  "its  profoundly  interesting 
music,"  *^  would  have  broken  the  supremacy  of  Hymns 
ancient  and  modern,  already  weakened  by  the  peculiarities 
of  the  edition  of  1904. 

If,  however,  the  extreme  developments  of  the  Liturgical 
Movement  are  still  divisive,  marking  a  widening  breach  be- 
tween Anglicanism  and  Protestantism,  this  is  far  from 
being  true  of  the  Liturgical  Movement  as  a  whole.  We 
have  seen  how  the  party  of  the  Oxford  Movement  took  the 
leadership  in  Hymnody  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Evangelicals 
within  the  Church  of  England,  and  the  surprising  degree  to 
which  not  only  that  Church  but  the  non-episcopal  Churches 
outside  were  won  over  to  the  Oxford  ideals  and  methods  of 
Church  Song. 

To  appreciate  the  full  effects  of  this  Oxford  leadership 
upon  the  actual  Hymnody  and  hymn  singing  of  to-day  we 
must  recur  once  more  to  the  original  motive  in  introducing 
the  Hymn  into  church  worship; — the  evangelical  motive 
of  securing  a  Church  Song  on  all  fours  with  the  gospel 
preached:  the  Psalms  remaining  to  respond  to  the  needs  of 
devotion,  the  Hymns  added  to  respond  to  the  truths 
preached.      No  doubt  this   evangelical   motive  moved   the 

^See  The  Churchman,  July  7,  Nov.  3,  24,  Dec.  8,  22,  1906;  January 
26,   1907. 

*Nos.  185,  195,  208,  213,  350.  'Nos.  184,  200,  218,  253. 

'"In  The  Christian  Commonwealth  (see  The  Churchman,  Jan.  26, 
1907. 

"C/.  Canon  Julian  in  his  Diet,  of  Hymnology,  p.  1633. 

'"Scott  Holland,  ut  supra.  "It  would  have  been  an  unspeakable 
disaster  if  we  had  not  been  free  to  put  it  to  full  use.  Now — all  is 
possible." 


572  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

hearts  of  preacher  and  people  ahke,  but  the  preachers'  crav- 
ing for  hymns  adapted  to  their  sermons  was  obviously  the 
efficient  cause  of  their  introduction.  Keach,  Watts, 
Doddridge,  Stennett,  Newton,  wrote  their  hymns  under  the 
glow  of  sermon  composition,  and  often  with  the  intention 
of  employing  them  to  impress  its  teachings.  This  homi- 
letical  conception  and  use  of  hymns  became  a  part  of  the 
Evangelical  inheritance,  and  so  predominated  in  practice 
that  the  more  purely  devotional  Psalmody  fell  into  disuse. 

Through  the  first  half  of  the  XlXth  century  and  beyond 
the  hymn  books  of  the  denominations  suggestively  de- 
scribed as  "non-liturgical,"  bear  witness  to  the  prevailing 
homiletical  motive,  in  the  didactic  character  of  the  hymns, 
their  multiplication  to  cover  the  largest  possible  number 
of  texts  and  themes,  the  manner  of  their  arrangement,  and 
the  textual  and  analytical  indexes  at  the  end.  And  we  have 
seen  how  fully  the  practice  of  Hymnody  corresponded.  It 
was  the  minister's  rather  than  the  people's  ordinance,  a 
Hymnody  of  expression  on  his  part,  of  impression  on 
theirs.  He  selected  the  hymns  not  for  their  intrinsic  values, 
but  because  of  their  adaptation  to  his  sermon  theme;  he 
read  them  through  as  poetical  illustrations  of  his  theme, 
though  often  calling  for  abridgment  in  the  singing;  and 
then  they  were  given  to  the  people  who  had  no  musical 
notes  before  them,  and  who  in  all  the  denominations  evinced 
a  very  moderate  desire  to  sing,  or  interest  in  the  materials 
set  before  them. 

Meantime  a  knowledge  of  Oxford  ideals  was  being  dif- 
fused; arousing  a  new  interest  in  the  history  of  the  ancient 
and  medieval  Church,  its  prayers  and  hymns,  and  in  the 
Common  Prayer  Book.  The  theory  of  worship  was  freshly 
studied  and  question  raised  whether  the  hearing  of  sermons 
fulfilled  it :  What  were  the  right  relations  and  proportions  of 
homily,  praise  and  prayer?  Was  not  Praise  worth  while 
for  its  own  sake;  and  were  not  its  interests  suffering  by 
its  being  made  an  appendage  to  the  sermon?  Was  not  the 
ancient  ideal  of  a  Hymnody  that  circled  with  the  church 


TWENTIETH   CENTURY   HYMNODY       573 

year,  or  even  the  Reformation  ideal  of  a  Psalmody  sung 
through  in  course,  more  comely  and  more  edifying  than  the 
Evangelical  ideal  of  a  Hymnody  appropriated  by  the  pulpit 
to  furnish  enforcement  or  illustraion  of  its  themes? 

Gradually  the  influence  of  the  Oxford  Movement  became 
apparent  in  many  directions;  in  the  church  architecture, 
decorations  and  fittings;  in  a  slow  but  steady  transition  of 
the  conception  and  practice  of  worship  from  the  homiletical 
ideal  to  the  liturgical;  most  obviously  in  the  general  recog- 
nition and  hearty  observance  of  the  greater  festivals  of 
the  Christian  Year. 

This  influence,  it  should  be  observed,  has  been  liturgical 
rather  than  doctrinal.     None  of  the  non-episcopal  Churches 
has  revised  its  doctrine  of  church  and  sacrament  under 
pressure  from  Oxford,  but  all  of  them  have  modified  their 
worship.     And  the  change  that  has  passed  over  the  face  of 
the  Hymnody  of  these  Churches,  so  far  as  the  Oxford  in- 
fluences have  been  concerned  in  that  change,  is  one  corre- 
sponding to  the  change  in  public  worship  itself.     It  is  more 
than  any  change  of  form  or  method;  it  is  a  change  in  spirit, 
a   modification   of   the   original   motive   underlying   hymn 
singing.     As  we  have  followed  the  Liturgical  Movement  it 
has'' been  striking  enough  no  doubt  to  see  the  Latin  Hymn 
lose  its  taint  in  Churches  which  had  accounted  it  "Roman 
Catholic,"   to  see  the  didactic  hymn  and  the  "preaching 
hymn"  give  way  to  new  hymns  from  Anglican  sources,  to 
see  the  Hymnody  of  the  times  and  seasons  of  the  Christian 
Year  established  in  Churches  that  once  studiously  ignored 
festival  and  fast,  to  see  the  Anglican  type  of  hymn  tune 
displacing  the  parlor-music  type:— but  the  change  brought 
about  in  Hymnody  by  the  Liturgical  Movement  is  more 
than  the  sum  of  all  these  specific  changes.     The  very  base 
of  the  ordinance  of  Hymnody  has  been  shifted  from  the 
homiletical  foundation  on  which  the  Evangelicals  established 
it,  and  restored  to  the  more  devotional  foundation  on  which 
the  old  Psalmody  rested.    And  the  changes  in  the  Hymnody 
are  a  part  of  the  process  of  its  reconstruction  as  an  mde- 


574  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

pendent  ordinance  of  Christian  worship  expressing  the  de- 
votions of  God's  people. 

Surveying  the  results  of  this  process  as  embodied  in  the 
recent  hymnals  of  "non-liturgical"  Churches,  one  gets  the 
impression  that  the  books  are  less  didactic  and  more  devo- 
tional than  ever  before,  and  that  possibly  the  reconstruction 
has  gone  as  far  in  a  liturgical  direction  as  may  be  practi- 
cable or  prudent.  In  present-day  hymnals  of  denomina- 
tions maintaining  a  modern  standard  of  culture,  no  great 
difference  in  structure  or  method  can  be  observed  between 
the  moderate  Anglican  and  the  non-episcopal.  Each  is 
readily  divisible  into  two  sections.  The  first  covers  times 
and  seasons,  including  all  the  great  facts  and  doctrines  of 
the  Christian  Year  and  occasions  of  worship.  The  second 
(called  "General"  in  Anglican  books  and  in  others  by  some 
other  name)  gathers  up  the  hymns  of  wider  application  and 
especially  of  Christian  experience.  In  the  Anglican  books 
there  is  much  provision  for  saints'  days  and  other  occasions 
not  celebrated  in  non-episcopal  Churches;  in  the  books  of 
the  latter  there  is  generally  a  fuller  recognition  of  Christian 
experience :  and  these  differences  substantially  measure  such 
contrast  as  still  exists  between  them.  It  is  doubtless  true 
that  in  many  pulpits  the  practice  of  handling  the  hymnal 
as  though  a  cyclopedia  of  homiletical  illustrations  still  sur- 
vives, but  the  modern  hymnal  is  as  ill-adapted  to  serve  that 
end  as  the  practice  itself  is  unacceptable  to  modern  feeling 
and  taste. 

V 

ITS  THEOLOGY 

I.     Changing  Religious  Thought  Makes  This  a 
Period  of  Revision 

The  Church  Hymnody  as  a  whole  has  been  the  expression 
of  an  evangelical  theology  and  an  evangelical  experience. 
Beginning  with  Watts  it  recorded  the  Calvinistic  faith,  not 
polemically,  but  because  it  was  the  faith  of  him  who  wrote 


TWENTIETH   CENTURY   HYMNODY       575 

and  those  who  were  to  be  induced  to  sing.  The  opposition 
Hymnody  of  Wesley's  revolt  against  Calvinism,  aggress- 
ively polemical  or  definitely  Arminian,  remained  always  a 
thing  apart,  and  tended  rather  to  impart  to  the  main  stream 
of  Hymnody,  through  the  Evangelical  Revival,  a  more 
definitely  Calvinistic  tone.  The  evangelical  side  of  the 
Wesleyan  Hymnody  fell  in  gradually  with  the  main  stream, 
and  perceptibly  deepened  it  in  Christian  experience,  and 
widened  it  with  evangelistic  purpose  and  expression.  The 
subsequent  Unitarian  Movement  left  the  bounds  of  the 
historic  Churches,  and  left  their  Hymnody  unaffected  doc- 
trinally.  The  Oxford  Movement  was  primarily  in  the 
domain  of  ecclesiology,  exalting  the  doctrine  of  church  and 
sacraments.  Its  primary  effect  on  the  general  Hymnody 
was  liturgical  rather  than  doctrinal,  but  it  operated  also 
through  its  disregard  of  the  older  dogma,  and  more  by 
putting  the  corporate  Church  in  the  place  the  individual 
saint  and  sinner  had  occupied  in  the  older  hymns  of 
experience. 

On  the  whole  the  present  day  Hymnody  of  the  main  body 
of  English-speaking  Churches  may  be  claimed  as  consistent 
with  an  evangelical  system  of  doctrine  and  with  evan- 
gelical convictions  and  experience. 

It  has  now,  however,  become  evident  to  all  observers  that 
recent  movements  and  tendencies  of  theological  thought, 
at  first  operating  on  the  outside  of,  or  at  the  left  of,  the  field 
of  Christian  thought,  are  now  brought  to  bear  upon  its 
centre  and  right;  and  that  even  the  Churches  of  the  evan- 
gelical faith  are  included  in  a  process  of  change  which  in 
the  hope  of  many  involves  no  more  than  doctrinal  adjust- 
ment but  which  in  the  opinion  of  others  must  lead  to  theo- 
logical reconstruction.  It  would  be  idle  to  pretend  that 
changed  conceptions  of  God  and  His  immanence  in  creation, 
modified  views  of  the  Scriptures  and  novel  methods  of 
exegesis,  the  partial  disintegration  of  Calvinism  in  denom- 
inations where  it  long  prevailed,  the  rediscussion  of  the 
great   doctrines   of    redemption,    the   new   adjustments   of 


576  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

temporal  and  eternal  relations,  the  growth  of  a  Christian 
agnosticism,  and  hesitation  in  dogmatic  statement  or  even 
denial  of  the  validity  of  dogma; — it  v^ould  be  idle  to  pre- 
tend that  these  things  are  v^orking  no  changes  in  the  Hym- 
nody  of  the  Churches  they  affect. 

The  connection  between  Christian  thought  and  feeling 
and  Christian  Hymnody  is  inevitably  close.  Nothing  is 
more  futile  than  a  congregational  song  that  does  not  ex- 
press the  living  faith  of  the  congregation  and  its  warmth  of 
feeling.  And  with  the  ever  present  fluctuation  of  thought 
and  feeling  a  discreet  pastor  is  always  revising  the  Hymnody 
through  his  selection  of  the  hymns  given  out  for  the  actual 
use  of  his  congregation.  A  change  in  Christian  thought 
and  feeling  affects  the  Hymnody  in  two  ways.  1st,  it 
applies  a  fresh  test  to  familiar  hymns,  and  tends  to  the 
disuse  of  such  of  them  as  have  lost  their  power  of  appeal. 
2nd,  it  creates  a  new  body  of  hymns,  and  even  tunes,  in- 
fused with  fresh  feeling  and  responsive  to  current  concep- 
tions of  Christian  truth.^^  This  explains  in  part  why  in 
these  times  of  change  the  various  denominations  feel  the 
need  of  revising  their  church  hymnals  at  shorter  intervals. 
It  explains  also  why  numerous  leaders  of  recent  religious 
thought  have  anticipated  the  authorized  revision  of  their 
denominational  hymnal  by  publishing  independent  hymnals 

"  "Every  one  at  all  familiar  with  the  history  of  religious  experience 
is  aware  how  sensitive  popular  song  has  been  as  an  index  of  popular 
feeling.  Nowhere  is  the  power  of  psychologic  suggestion  upon  the 
masses  more  evident  than  in  the  domain  of  song.  Hardly  does  a 
revolutionary  religious  idea,  struck  from  the  brains  of  a  few  leading 
thinkers  and  reformers,  effect  a  lodgment  in  the  hearts  of  any  con- 
siderable section  of  the  common  people,  than  it  is  immediately  pro- 
jected in  hymns  and  melodies.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  no  idea 
has  a  real  vital  energizing  power  that  does  not  so  manifest  itself.  So 
far  as  it  is  no  mere  scholastic  formula,  but  possesses  the  power  to 
kindle  an  active  life  in  the  soul,  it  will  quickly  clothe  itself  in  figurative 
speech  and  musical  cadence,  and  in  many  cases  it  will  filter  itself 
through  this  medium  until  all  that  is  crude,  formal,  and  speculative  is 
drained  away,  and  what  is  essential  and  fruitful  is  retained  as  a  per- 
manent spiritual  possession."  Edw.  Dickinson,  "The  Lesson  of  the 
New  Hymnals,"  in  The  Bibliotheca  Sacra,  July  1900,  p.  571. 


TWENTIETH   CENTURY   HYMNODY       577 

of  their  own,  either  to  meet  a  need  they  recognized  or  as  an 
effective  method  of  propaganda. 

At  the  present  time  this  revision  of  the  Church  Hymnody 
is  proceeding  simultaneously  in  so  many  denominations  and 
with  so  much  activity  and  zeal  as  to  suggest  a  gentle  up- 
heaval and  the  beginning  of  a  new  epoch.  In  England 
within  the  opening  years  of  the  XXth  century  their  Church 
hymnals  have  been  revised  by  the  Anglicans  (unofficially), 
the  Presbyterians,  and  the  various  Methodist  Churches :  in 
Canada  by  the  Anglicans ;  in  the  United  States  by  the  Pres- 
byterians, the  two  Methodist  Episcopal  bodies,  the  Wes- 
leyan  Methodists,  the  Methodist  Protestants,  the  Congre- 
gationalists  (by  their  Publication  Society),  the  German 
Baptists,  the  Reformed  Episcopalians  and  the  Swedenbor- 
gians.  To  these  we  may  add  the  Christian  Scientists,  in 
view  of  the  novelty  of  their  doctrinal  views  embodied  in 
Christian  Science  Hymnal  (Boston:  rev.  ed.  1898)  at  the 
century's  end.  At  the  moment  of  writing  revisions  of  the 
denominational  hymn  books  are  in  progress  in  England 
by  the  Congregationalists  and  Moravians:  in  Canada  by 
the  Presbyterians  and  Methodists :  in  the  United  States  by 
the  various  Lutheran  Churches  in  a  concerted  movement 
for  a  common  hymnal,  the  Episcopalians,  the  German  and 
the  Dutch  Reformed  Churches.  Apart  from  these  bodies 
the  current  hymnodic  activity  and  spirit  of  change  (not 
necessarily  of  doctrinal  change)  is  illustrated  in  the  in- 
creasing use  of  vernacular  hymns  by  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  not  only  in  families  and  schools  but  in  parochial 
services  other  than  the  Mass;  and  also  in  the  introduction 
of  hymn-singing  into  Quaker  meetings  both  in  America 
and  England.  The  Golden  Hymn  Book.  Compiled  by  M. 
Catharine  Albright  (London:  Frowde,  1903)  is  a  book  of 
considerable  charm  as  well  as  significance.  The  Friends' 
Hymnal  .  .  .  for  the  public  worship  of  the  Society  (New 
York  :  Funk  and  Wagnalls,  1906:  rev.  ed.  1908),  an  author- 
ized book  and  fully  equipped  with  music,  will  grieve  some 
who  have  cultivated  the  silences  of  the  old  meetings. 


578  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

In  view  of  the  spirit  of  revision  so  active  in  denomina- 
tions having  an  authorized  Hymnody,  and  of  the  increasing 
excellence  of  their  hymnals,  both  the  significance  and  op- 
portunity of  the  hymnals  still  issuing  independently  are 
considerably  lessened.  In  stimulating  and  in  a  measure 
guiding  the  improvement  of  church  hymnals,  as  they  have 
undoubtedly  done,  these  personal  and  unauthorized  collec- 
tions have  served  a  public  function  now  largely  fulfilled. 
In  churches  without  an  authorized  Hymnody,  such  as  the 
Church  of  England  and  American  Congregationalism,  they 
necessarily  still  hold  the  field. 

2.     The  New  Theology  Demands  a  New  Hymnody 

It  is  on  the  left  wing  of  Christianity  that  the  new  move- 
ments of  religious  thought  have  had  the  freest  sweep.  We 
have  already  noted  the  passing  of  the  old  Unitarianism  into 
a  free  and  "universal"  religion,  and  how  as  early  as  1864 
in  America  Longfellow  and  Johnson  in  their  Hymns  of 
the  Spirit  and  in  1873  in  England  James  Martineau  in  his 
Hymns  of  Praise  and  Prayer  provided  the  new  faith  with 
a  Hymnody  that  confessedly  transcended  the  limits  of 
historical  Christianity. 

The  most  recent  authorized  hymnal  of  a  denomination, 
now  debating  the  retention  of  the  Unitarian  name,  is  The 
new  Hymn  and  Tune  Book  (Boston:  American  Unitarian 
Association,  1914)  ;  prepared  by  a  committee  of  the  Asso- 
ciation; "offered  to  all  who  love  perfect  liberty  in  pure 
religion."  It  may  be  regarded  as  a  revision  of  The  Hymn 
and  Tune  Book  of  1877,  of  whose  885  hymns  only  242 
are  retained,  "owing  to  the  great  changes  in  religious 
thought."  ^^  In  its  provision  for  the  greater  days  of  the 
Christian  Year,  and  its  section  on  "The  Ministry  and  exam- 
ple of  Jesus,"  it  follows  Martineau  rather  than  Longfellow : 
in  its  aspirations  for  public  service  and  social  righteousness 
it  is  richer  than  either.  Of  its  "authors"  Frederick  L, 
Hosmer  leads  with  34  hymns,  closely  followed  by  Samuel 

"Preface. 


TWENTIETH   CENTURY   HYMNODY       579 

Longfellow  with  27.  Whittier  has  18  and  T.  H.  Gill  11. 
Much  of  their  work  is  universally  acceptable;  and  to  the 
compilers  of  this  book  one  ventures  to  apply  the  avowal 
of  Martineau's  preface:  "Eor  myself,  both  conviction  and 
feeling  keep  me  close  to  the  poetry  and  piety  of  Christen- 
dom." '^ 

Within  the  area  of  a  more  evangelical  Congregationalism 
the  relations  of  Hymnody  to  dogmatic  theology  had  been 
fought  over  and  virtually  settled  in  the  controversy  over 
Thomas  Toke  Lynch's  The  Rivulet  (1855).^^'     His  oppo- 
nents claimed  that  every  hymn  should  be  a  statement  of 
definite  doctrine,  and  accused  his  hymns   with  being   full 
of  "negative  theology":  a  charge  which  Lynch  paraphrased 
(and  disposed  of)  in  his  well-known  lines  beginning,— 
"When  sugar  in  the  Uimp  I  see, 
I  know  that   it   is   there, 
Melt  it,  and  then  I   soon   suspect 
A  negative  affair.'"' 

But  in  1889  John  Hunter,  of  Trinity  Congregational 
Church,  Glasgow,  a  devoted  follower  of  Maurice,  in  his 
Hymns  of  Faith  and  Life  (Glasgow,  Alaclehose)  undertook 
to  embody  "the  modern  spirit"  not  "negatively"  but  posi- 
tively. Dogmatic  statements  of  older  doctrines,  such  as  the 
line  of  Heber's  hymn,  "God  in  Three  Persons,  blessed  Trin- 
ity," were  scrupulously  eschewed  in  favor  of  expressions 
of  "the  largest  and  simplest  aspects  of  Christian  faith  and 
hfe."  "The  divineness  of  the  present  hfe"  was  set  against 
the  unreahty  of  the  evangelical  "otherworldliness,"  and 
"the  larger  hope"  against  the  orthodox  eschatology.  Hun- 
ter's book  had  a  very  limited  congregational  use,  but  in 
many  ways  it  prefigured  and  even  influenced  the  trend  of 
present-day  Hymnody.  The  work  of  Garrett  Horder,  al- 
ready noticed  in  connection  with  the  Literary  Movement, 
must  be  regarded  as  following  in  the  same  lines  as  Hunter's, 

''Preface  to  Hymns  of  Praise  and  Prayer,  p.  xi. 
"See  chap,  ix,  part  III,  section  iv,  2. 
^'Songs  controversial  (1856),  no.  viii. 


58o  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

notably  In  its  eager  repudiation  of  the  dogmatic  spirit 
and  its  frank  adhesion  to  the  modern  spirit  in  faith  and 
Hfe.i^ 

In  America  at  the  end  of  the  XlXth  century  not  only 
the  authorized  hymnals  of  the  Evangelical  Churches  but 
the  books  of  private  enterprise  gaining  any  extensive  use 
within  their  bounds  were  carefully  conformed  to  the  strictest 
standards  of  orthodoxy.  This  is  true,  for  example,  of 
Bedell's  Church  Hymnary  (1891),  Robinson's  The  new 
Laudcs  Domini  (J892),  The  Coronation  Hymnal  (1894), 
In  Excelsis  (1897)  and  Johnson's  Sursum  Corda  (1898). 
Lyman  Abbott's  The  Plymouth  Hymnal  (1893)  is  an  ex- 
ception not  as  aiming  to  exclude  evangelical  or  even  Cal- 
vinistic  hymns,  but  rather  in  not  seeking  "to  conform  to 
any  school  of  thought"  and  in  seeking  to  represent  "all 
phases  of  Christian  experience."  Even  so  his  book  neither 
found  nor  made  for  itself  a  wide  place. 

The  new  tendencies  in  Hymnody  found  for  the  first  time 
a  full  presentation  under  "orthodox"  denominational  aus- 
pices in  The  Pilgrim  Hymnal.  The  Pilgrim  Press:  New 
York,  Boston,  Chicago  [1904]  :  the  "product  of  a  sys- 
tematic undertaking"  on  the  part  of  the  Congregational 
Sunday-school  and  Publishing  Society  which  had  already 
issued  Pilgrim  Songs  for  Sunday  schools,  "to  provide  a 
uniform  series  of  hymnals  for  the  churches  of  our  order." 
It  purports  to  represent  the  desires  of  a  large  number  of 
people,  ascertained  by  "a  questionnaire,  submitted  to  some 
200  representative  men  of  our  churches  in  all  parts  of  the 
country,"  ^^  a  considerable  number  of  whom  served  as  an 
"advisory  cabinet"  to  Charles  L.  Noyes,  the  editor,  and 
Dr.  Washington  Gladden,  the  associate  editor ;  the  latter  of 
whom  merged  in  this  the  plans  for  a  hymnal  projected  by 
himself.2o 

The  Pilgrim  Hymnal  obviously  responds  to  an  undoubted 

'*  "The  theologian's  success  is  the  hymnist's  faiUire."     Horder,  "The 
Theology  of  our  Hymns"  in  The  Outlook  for  Sept.  11,  1897. 
'•"Editorial  Notes,"  p.  570.  ''"Ibid.,  p.  571- 


TWENTIETH   CENTURY   HYMNODY       581 

demand  for  a  new  Hymnody  that  shall  in  doctrinal  expres- 
sion and  emphasis  correspond  with  what  is  called  the  New 
Theology  and  in  vigor  and  tone  help  to  inspire  the  new- 
found readiness  for  active  service.  It  thus  becomes  an 
important  and  representative  document  for  studying  the 
trend  of  the  new   Hymnody.     Its  criteria  seem  to  be: — 

1.  Modernity.  "There  is  a  vigorous  effort  to  omit 
whatever  uses  the  terminology  of  the  past,  in  favor  of  that 
which  is  deemed  more  in  harmony  with  the  present."  ^^ 

2.  An  emphasis  on  God's  immanence,  so  that  in  hymns 
of  adoration  He  shall  appear  less  as  the  throned  majestic 
Personage,  apart  from  the  world,  of  the  older  hymns,  and 
more  as  a  Spirit  of  Power  and  Love  resident  in  the  world 
and  operating  within  the  hearts  of  all  men. 

3.  An  indefiniteness  as  to  the  nature  and  person  and 
work  of  Christ,  that  shall  at  least  avoid  the  dogmatic  cer- 
tainties of  the  older  theology.  Thus  the  section  on  God 
includes  the  Maker,  the  Living  and  Indwelling  God,  and 
the  Holy  Spirit;  'The  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  a  second  section. 
There  is  no  doubt  a  diminution,  but  no  apparent  avoidance, 
of  the  hymns  that  contemplate  Christ  as  working  out  the 
atonement  for  sin. 

4.  A  non-ecclesiastical  tone.  In  emphasis  and  feeling 
the  Kingdom  takes  the  place  the  Church  held  in  Anglican 
and  even  Evangelical  books.  As  against  any  trend  toward 
sacramentalism  involved  in  the  Liturgical  Movement,  The 
Pilgrim  Hymnal  marks  a  reaction.  Perhaps  in  no  modern 
church  hymnal  outside  of  Unitarianism  is  the  sacramental 
tone  so  low  as  in  its  meagre  provision  for  the  Communion. 
Liturgically  also  there  is  no  advance.  The  Christian  Year  is 
ignored.  Such  liturgical  suggestiveness  as  the  book  presents 
is  mainly  in  the  appended  materials ;  and,  even  so,  from  the 
Psalter  as  it  was  arranged  either  for  chanting  or  responsive 
reading  in  Hymns  of  the  Faith  (1887)  to  these  miscel- 
laneous responsive  Scripture  Readings  arranged  by  "topics" 
there  is  a  long  descent  from  liturgical  propriety. 

"Hartford  Seminary  Record,  Nov.  1904,  p.  64. 


582  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

5.  A  modified  conception  of  the  Christian  life,  with  the 
emphasis  on  activity  as  against  inward  experience.  In  the 
section  on  "The  Christian  Life"  "Following  Christ"  takes 
the  place  of  "Repentance"  and  "Faith"  in  the  evangelical 
books.  There  is  a  large  disuse  of  the  Evangelical  Hym- 
nody,  notably  of  the  XVIIIth  century,  in  favor  of  newer 
hymns  representing  more  liberal  conceptions  of  Christianity. 
Of  its  547  hymns  115  are  ascribed  to  Unitarians.-^  Samuel 
Longfellow  has  20  as  against  13  of  Watts:  Hosmer  has  12 
as  against  11  of  Charles  Wesley  or  4  of  John  Newton. 

6.  A  new  sense  of  the  inJierent  importance  of  the  present 
life,  with  an  avoidance  of  the  hymns  that  emphasize  its 
probationary  relations  to  the  future  life.  There  is  less  no 
doubt  of  the  other  world  than  in  most  evangelical  books, 
but  an  enlarged  area  of  the  earthly  life  is  brought  within 
the  motives  that  inspire^  Christian  song. 

7.  We  come  now  to  the  most  characteristic  and  novel 
feature  of  the  new  Hymnody,  as  embodied  in  The  Pilgrim 
Hymnal, — its  pronounced  humanitarianism.  Coordinate 
with  its  emphasis  on  God  in  every-day  life,  on  the  Kingdom 
as  against  the  earlier  emphasis  upon  the  Church,  on  practical 
effort  as  against  inward  experience,  on  the  present  life  as 
our  appointed  sphere  of  operation,  comes  its  insistent  call 
not  for  mere  adoration  or  contemplation,  still  less  for  intro- 
spection, but  for  service  of  a  broad  humanitarian  type  as 
against  technical  "church-work."  The  old  conception  of  a 
banded  brotherhood  pursuing  a  narrow  way  to  heaven 
widens  into  a  human  brotherhood  with  a  living  Christ  at 
its  head,  and  of  all  who  serve  their  fellows  as  of  his  com- 
pany. And  we  thus  have  a  new  Hymnody  of  Social 
Service.  It  is  so  far  at  one  with  the  songs  of  "Ethical 
Culture"  that  Felix  Adler's  "Sing  we  of  the  Golden  City, 

"In  view  of  past  controversy  in  New  England,  this  proportion 
inevitably  attracted  notice.  It  was  explained  by  Dr.  Gladden  as  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  largest  number  of  the  best  hymns  within  the  past 
twenty-five  years  have  been  written  by  Unitarians  (The  Congrcgation- 
alist  for  July  30,  1904,  p.  147).  It  may  be  added  that  among  the  115 
are  a  considerable  number  in  wide  acceptance. 


TWENTIETH   CENTURY   HYMNODY       583 

Pictured  in  the  legends  old,"  ^^  becomes  a  church  hymn; 
and  with  the  evolutionary  anticipations  of  a  new  humanity 
as  to  adopt  John  Addington  Symonds'  "These  things  shall 
be, — a  loftier  race."  ^^  In  the  amelioration  of  social  con- 
ditions it  sees  fulfilled  the  prophesied  coming  of  Christ :  and 
hence  in  The  Pilgrim  Hymnal  there  is  an  entire  omission  of 
the  department  of  the  Second  Advent  of  Christ  and  the 
Last  Judgment. 

It  has  thus  perhaps  become  evident  that  The  Pilgrim 
Hymnal  embodies  a  Hymnody  in  several  respects  new, 
whose  doctrinal  contents  and  leanings  do  not,  by  intention, 
conform  at  all  points  with  the  earlier  Evangelical  Hymnody. 
The  doubtless  disappointing  reception  of  the  book  proved 
indeed  that  its  changes  went  considerably  beyond  the  bounds 
of  any  general  demand  in  American  Congregationalism. 
It  never  won  the  status  of  a  denominational  hymnal  to 
which  its  publication  by  the  Pilgrim  Press  presumptively 
entitled  it,  but  continued  to  represent  the  considerable  group 
of  ministers  and  churches  which  had  cooperated  in  its 
production.  Among  more  recent  Congregationalist  hymnals 
Hymns  of  the  Church  nezv  and  old  ( New  York :  Barnes, 
1912),  edited  by  W.  V.  W.  Davis  and  Raymond  Calkins, 
and  Songs  of  the  Christian  Life  ( New  York :  Merrill, 
1913),  edited  by  Charles  H.  Richards,  may  perhaps  be 
regarded  as  applying  the  retort  courteous  to  The  Pilgrim 
Hymnal.  After  some  years'  use  The  Pilgrim  Hymnal  was 
revised  and  reissued  under  its  original  title  in  19 13.  The 
new  edition  omits  some  hymns  of  the  New  England  theistic 
school,  provides  some  more  suitable  hymns  for  the  Com- 
munion, and  restores  some  standard  hymns. 

But  the  larger  significance  of  the  new  edition  is  in  the 
particular  lines  of  its  enrichment,  answering  the  latest  de- 
mands of  the  churches  and  made  possible  by  the  latest  hymn 
writing: — "to  respond  to  the  yearning  of  the  life  and  faith 
of  to-day  for  more  hymns  to  express  communion  with  God 

^The  Pilgrim  Hymnal,  No.  401. 
'*Ibid..  No.  403- 


584  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

in  his  nearness  and  living  presence,  fellowship  with  Christ, 
enthusiasm  for  humanity,  the  passion  for  service,  and  conse- 
cration to  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth."  ^s  On  these 
lines  The  Pilgrim  Hymnal  of  191 3  was  quite  as  much  a 
follower  as  a  leader;  for  they  indicate  the  definite  lines  on 
which  the  revision  and  enrichment  of  Church  Hymnody  is 
just  now  proceeding  in,  one  may  say,  all  denominations. 
It  was,  for  instance,  with  an  eye  on  the  market  that  the 
publishing  house  which  had  chosen  the  high-sounding  name 
oi  In  Excelsis  for  its  recent  hymnal,  called  its  new  one 
Hymns  of  Worship  and  Service  ( New  York :  The  Century 
Co.,  1905).  It  was  from  one  of  the  best  ordered  parishes 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  once  widely  served  by  Dr. 
Robinson's  Hymns  of  the  Church  and  Songs  for  the  Sanc- 
tuary, that  proceeded  Dr.  Coffin's  Hymns  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God  (New  York:  Barnes,  1910).  Indeed  the  passage 
quoted  from  The  Pilgrim  Hymnal  of  19 13  might  almost 
have  been  taken  from  the  preface  of  the  revised  hymnal 
of  that  still  conservative  denomination, — The  Hymnal  pub- 
lished in  i8p^  and  revised  in  ipii  by  authority  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  The  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America  (Philadelphia:  Presbn.  Bd.  of 
Publn.,  1911);  which  announces  a  purpose  "to  bring  the 
book  abreast  of  the  latest  developments  of  hymnody,  and 
of  the  present  state  of  Christian  thought  and  feeling;  espe- 
cially to  meet  the  demand  for  the  recognition  of  God's 
nearness  to  every-day  living,  the  coming  of  the  Kingdom 
in  the  sphere  of  common  life,  the  spirit  of  brotherhood  and 
of  manly  and  resolute  Christian  life  and  service,  social 
betterment,  and  evangelistic  work." 

VI 
THE  HYMNODY  OF  SOCIAL  DEMOCRACY 

One  remembers   indeed  that   Congregational   Song  was 
itself  the  sign  and  expression  of  a  new  democracy  of  reli- 
°°Preface,  p.  [iii]. 


TWENTIETH   CENTURY   HYMNODY       585 

gion,  when  the  Reformation  took  Church  Song  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  hierarchy  and  put  it  into  the  hands  of  the 
people.  And  he  begins  to  perceive  that  the  influence  so 
powerfully  operative  in  Congregational  Song  to-day  is  not 
so  much  a  new  theology  rewriting  church  symbols  of  doc- 
trine as  a  growth  in  the  spirit  of  social  democracy  deeply 
affecting  the  working  faith  of  the  plain  people  who  do  the 
singing  if  they  do  not  make  the  symbols.  We  perceive  its 
revolutionary  side  in  the  songs  of  voluntary  societies  for 
ethical  culture  that  replace  the  church  and  ignore  the  super- 
natural; its  still  militant  side  in  "the  hymns  of  the  liberal 
faith"  that  herald  a  religion  freed  from  all  authority  and 
yet  calling  itself  Christian:  and  we  perceive  the  shadow 
which  that  militancy  casts  even  on  evangelical  churches  in 
their  hesitancy  to  sing  any  longer  hymns  of  humble  adora- 
tion to  the  enthroned  and  omnipotent  Jehovah  of  the  Psalms. 
But  we  perceive  also  the  pacific  side  of  the  democratic 
spirit  in  new  hymns  that  sing  of  God's  concern  for  common 
life  and  common  people,  songs  of  brotherhood  and  social 
redemption,  and  of  the  homely  coming  of  that  Kingdom, 
which  no  doubt  we  shall  soon  be  trained  to  regard  as  "The 
republic  of  God." 

This  infusion  of  the  democratic  spirit  into  Congregational 
Song  appears  to  be  the  special  contribution  of  the  XXth 
century  to  English  Hymnody.  The  old  hymn,  "When  I  can 
read  my  Title  clear,"  represents  the  old  Evangelical  Hym- 
nody (no  doubt  at  its  extreme)  in  its  individualism,  its 
otherworldliness,  its  introspection.  The  new  hymn,  "Where 
cross  the  crowded  ways  of  life,"  represents  the  new  "Hym- 
nody of  Social  Service"  in  its  socialism,  its  this-worldliness, 
its  concern  for  those  who  are  not  in  church.  It  is  true  that 
social  service  is  not  a  novelty  in  church  ideals,  and  that 
older  hymns  of  social  service  were  not  wanting.  "Charity 
hymns"  were  among  the  earliest  sung  in  the  Church  of 
England.  The  anti-slavery  agitation,  the  temperance  move- 
ment, the  peace  movement,  and  others,  all  produced  church 
hymns.    But  it  is  substantially  true  that  "this  propaganda  of 


586  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

beneficence,  this  constant  attention  to  the  moral  and  physical 
improvement  of  persons  who  have  been  neglected,  is  quite 
recent  as  a  leading  feature  of  religion."  ^^  And  how  recent 
the  Hymnody  of  Social  Service  is  in  any  practicable  sense 
is  best  known  to  him  who  has  searched  XVHIth  and  XlXth 
century  hymn  books  for  examples.  It  is  only  now  in  the 
making  and  as  existent  is  in  a  state  undeniably  crude. 

We  see  it  in  the  making,  as  it  were,  in  the  "Social  Hymn 
Number"  (January  3,  19 14)  of  The  Survey,  the  organ  of 
allied  social  workers.  Here,  after  elaborate  preparations, 
with  a  hymn-editor  and  twelve  referees  representing  most 
types  of  religion  and  ethics,  were  gathered  "One  hundred 
hymns  of  brotherhood  and  social  aspiration."  The  first 
object  was  to  find  "hymns  that  could  be  sung  by  all  people 
in  all  places,  whether  in  churches,  in  halls,  in  schools,  in  the 
open":  "which  Jew  and  Gentile,  Protestant  and  Catholic 
might  sing  with  equal  fervor."  On  this  account  partly,  and 
also  to  avoid  gloominess,  "no  hymns  of  atonement,  sin  and 
sacrifice"  were  included.  Professor  Simon  N.  Patten,  in 
his  paper  on  hymn  writing,  would  go  farther,  and  avoid  in 
the  new  Hymnody  the  very  Imagery  and  "expressions  of 
war,  depravity,  and  woe,  upon  which  the  emotional  value 
of  earlier  hymns  depends"  and  aim  at  "the  socialization  of 
language  itself."  ^'' 

The  Survey  hymns  have  since  been  reprinted  as  Social 
Hymns  of  Brotherhood  and  Aspiration.  Collected  by 
Mabel  Hay  Barrows  Mussey.  New  York:  the  A.  S.  Barnes 
Co.,  1914,  In  a  form  at  once  suggesting  the  evangelistic 
song  book,  but  with  a  gospel  in  marked  contrast  with  that  of 
evangelism.  It  deals  not  with  the  Individual  but  with 
humanity  In  the  mass,  not  with  spiritual  experience  but 
with  "social  living,"  not  with  the  salvation  of  the  soul,  but 
with  the  uplift  of  society.  The  hymns  are  grouped  under 
the  categories  of  "Aspiration  and  Faith,"  "Liberty  and 
Justice,"   "Peace,"  "Labor  and  Conflict,"   "Brotherhood," 

^"[Edmund  Gosse]  Father  and  Son,  New  York,  1907,  p.  334. 
"'Ibid.,  p.  408. 


TWENTIETH   CENTURY   HYMNODY       587 

and  "Patriotism."  They  include  a  number  already  in  church 
use,  notably  the  newer  hymns  of  the  Kingdom,  but  of  the 
Church  as  an  appointed  agent  of  social  regeneration  there 
is  no  recognition,  and  apart  from  the  aspiration  for  a  "new 
city"  on  earth,  no  vision  of  the  life  beyond. 

In  the  new  Social  Hymnody  as  here  presented  one  feels 
that  there  is  not  necessarily  any  antagonism  to  the  Christian 
Church  or  to  Christian  Doctrine,  but  rather  a  sense  of  their 
irrelevancy  in  view  of  an  absorbing  aim  in  whose  promotion 
it  is  necessary  to  find  common  ground  on  which  men  of 
good  will  may  meet  to  labor  and  to  sing.  And  this  feature 
of  the  Social  Hymnody  is  no  doubt  worthy  of  keeping  in 
mind  by  the  Church  itself  which  is  now  so  obviously  en- 
gaged in  revising  her  own  Hymnody  in  the  light  of  the  new 
ideals  of  social  democracy. 

It  has  already  been  suggested  that  the  XXth  century 
Church  is  deeply  moved  by  the  spirit  of  the  new  philan- 
thropy and  even  disposed  to  modify  her  ideals  in  accord 
w^ith  the  new  humanitarianism.  She  is  inclined  for  the 
present  at  least  in  the  interests  of  "service"  to  subordinate 
that  concern  for  spiritual  experience  and  for  eternal  life 
which  entered  into  the  warp  and  woof  of  the  Evangelical 
Hymnody,  and  even  that  spirit  of  adoration  which  is  the 
heart  of  the  Liturgical  Hymnody.  The  significance  of  such 
a  title  as  that  of  the  recent  Hymns  of  Worship  and  Service 
is  in  its  definite  proposal  of  praise  and  service  as  the  two 
coordinate  themes  of  Church  Song.  More  striking  still  is 
the  pamphlet  of  hymns  and  prayers  of  a  social  bearing, 
issued  by  the  Social  Service  Commission  of  the  Episcopal 
diocese  of  Massachusetts,  in  its  recognition  of  social  service 
as  the  particular  form  of  service  to  which  the  Church  is  at 
present  called  and  its  determination  to  relate  the  social 
service  movement  to  the  Church's  devotional  life.  And  now 
from  another  source  comes  the  suggestion,  not  that  the 
Church  should  make  its  own  Social  Hymnody  but  that  The 
Survey's  collection  of  Social  Hymns  of  Brotherhood  and 
Aspiration  "might  well  be  in  the  pews  of  any  church  whose 


588  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

people  believe  in  the  social  gospel,  as  a  supplementary  hymn 
book."  28 

The  situation  is  thus  obviously  one  in  which  the  best 
interests  of  Church  Hymnody  demand  some  consideration. 
There  will  be  few  indeed  to  deplore  the  Church's  new  con- 
cern for  social  life.  And  if  any  is  disposed  to  maintain  that 
the  Church  Hymn  is  not  the  proper  vehicle  of  the  new 
emotions  and  aspirations  his  thesis  must  be  regarded  as 
merely  academic.  The  ideal  of  the  Hymn,  which  Augustine 
once  defined  acceptably  to  the  Church  as  "Praise  of  God  in 
song,"  29  has  been  strained  and  even  stretched,  with  the 
progress  of  Christian  centuries,  to  cover  many  religious 
activities  other  than  praise.  Doubtless  it  can  be  further 
stretched  to  cover  the  special  activities  of  the  new  social 
awakening.  It  is  rather  the  perpetual  surprise  of  our  his- 
toric Hymnody  that  it  should  have  proceeded  so  far  with 
so  little  sense  of  human  fellowship,  so  little  concern  for  the 
inequalities  and  burdens  of  the  society  in  which  the  Church 
was  set.  So  devout  and  mystical  a  soul  as  George  Matheson, 
author  of  one  of  the  most  cherished  hymns  of  a  deep  in- 
ward experience, ^*^  has  expressed  a  thought  common  to 
many  in  saying  of  our  hymns  generally : — 

"To  my  mind  they  have  one  great  defect;  they  lack  humanitarian- 
ism.  There  is  any  amount  of  doctrine  in  the  Trinity,  Baptism,  Atone- 
ment, or  the  Christian  life  as  such,  but  what  of  the  secular  life — the 
infirmary,  the  hospital,  the  home  of  refuge?  ...  I  don't  think  our 
hymns  will  ever  be  what  they  ought  to  be,  until  we  get  them  inspired 
by  a  sense  of  the  enthusiasm  of,  and  for,  humanity.  It  is  rather  a 
theological  point,  perhaps,  but  the  hymnists  speak  of  the  surrender  to 
Christ.  They  forget  that  Christ  is  not  simply  an  individual.  He  is 
Head  of  a  body,  the  body  of  humanity ;  and  it  no  longer  expresses  the 
idea  correctly  to  join  yourself  to  Christ  only,  you  must  give  yourself 
to  the  whole  brotherhood  of  man  to  fulfil  the  idea."^' 

And  now  that  the  need  thus  disclosed  is  in  the  way  of 

^^The  Christian  Work  and  Evangelist  for  July  i8,  1914. 
"Ennar.  in  Ps.  cxliii. 
^"  "O  Love  that  wilt  not  let  me  go." 

"D.  Macmillan,  The  Life  of  George  Matheson,  New  York,  1907, 
p.  185. 


TWENTIETH   CENTURY   HYMNODY       589 

being  provided  for,  there  would  seem  to  be  two  features  of 
the  situation  worthy  of  attention  by  those  concerned  for 
the  best  interests  of  Church  Hymnody. 

First:  The  Church  should  make  her  own  "supplementary 
hymn  book."  The  "theological  point"  made  by  Dr.  Mathe- 
son  may  or  may  not  define  accurately  the  ground  of  the 
Church's  participation  in  the  social  awakening.  The  real 
point  is  that  the  Church  believes  in  her  own  call  to  lend  a 
hand,  finds  her  own  motives  in  Christ,  and  has  her  own 
social  gospel.  She  remembers  also  that  those  who  are 
bringing  about  "social  living"  are  well  on  the  way  to  indi- 
vidual dying,  and  that  the  hope  of  heaven  is  an  encourage- 
ment while  making  progress  toward  the  happier  world  we 
shall  not  live  to  see.  The  Church  should  not  be  expected  to 
renounce  these  great  inspirations  while  joining  hands  with 
all  who  would  do  good.  And  at  a  time  when  very  many 
regard  a  Social  Hymnody  ignoring  the  Church  and  Chris- 
tian doctrine  as  prophetic,  it  becomes  the  Church  to  embody 
her  own  faith  in  social  songs. 

Second:  Even  granting  that  "worship  and  service"  are  to 
be  the  two  coordinate  themes  of  XXth  century  Church 
Hymnody,  it  need  not  follow  that  the  element  of  praise  is 
to  lose  its  primacy.  It  should  rather  follow  that  the  note  of 
praise  shall  pervade  the  Hymnody  of  Service.  If  the  re- 
lations of  God  and  man  are  what  the  Church  has  hitherto 
believed  them  to  be,  she  must  continue  to  stand  on  her  old 
foundation  as  fundamentally  a  worshipping  Church,  with 
her  activities  conditioned  by  her  devotional  life. 

In  every  vital  movement  we  may  expect  and  allow  for  a 
certain  exaggeration  and  loss  of  the  sense  of  proportion. 
The  Evangelical  Revival  overemphasized  the  Hymn  of 
Experience  and  even  encouraged  a  Hymnody  of  egotism. 
Evangelistic  fervor  has  in  many  times  and  places  cast  a 
shadow  of  unreality  and  aloofness  over  the  sober  Church 
Hymnody,  and  temporarily  supplanted  the  church  hymnal 
by  the  revival  song  book.  And  something  of  the  kind  may 
be  anticipated  in  connection   with  the   social   awakening. 


590  THE  ENGLISH  HYMN 

We  shall  soon  perhaps  have  Hymns  of  Service  and  Worship, 
with  a  change  only  in  the  order  of  precedence  ("To  do  Thy 
will  is  more  than  praise")  ;  then  Hymns  of  Service  ("Thy 
sacramental  liturgies  the  joy  of  doing  good")  ;  and  then 
Hymns  of  Social  Service  as  the  Church's  hymn  book  ("To 
worship  rightly  is  to  love  each  other"). 

In  all  these  successive  movements  of  religious  life,  in  the 
social  awakening  as  much  as  in  the  Evangelical  Revival,  and 
through  all  these  varying  phases  of  Church  Song,  we  may 
contentedly  read  the  unfolding  purpose  of  that  Sovereign 
Love  which  broods  over  church  and  world.  And  we  can 
perceive  that  a  change  of  emphasis  as  regards  phases  of 
truth  contributes  to  the  fulfilment  of  that  purpose.  One 
might  even  encourage  the  XXth  century  Church  to  sing 
those  things  it  believes  most  vividly  and  feels  most  deeply, 
confident  that  in  any  case  the  permanent  foundation  of 
Church  Song  ("Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow") 
is  unshaken. 


INDEX 


Abbott,  Lyman,  473,  489.  SS8 

Abingdon  Presbytery,  189 

Abridgmenl    of    Dr.     Watis's    Psalms    and 

Hymns,   133 
Abridgment  of  Mr.  Baxter's  History,  83 
Accompanying  harmonies  to  Hymnal  noted, 

S2I 

Acles  of  the  Apostles  (Tye),  55 

Acts   and  Proceedings    (Gen.    Synod,    Ref. 
Dutch),  403,  404,  40s,  40'j,  407,  40S 
(Engl.  Presbyn.  Synod),  525.  536 

Acts  of  General  Assembly  (Ch.  of  Scot.),  57, 
59,  148 

Adam  of  St.  Victor,  502 

Adams,  F.  A.,  388 

Adams,  John,  184 

Adams.  J.  G.,  481,  482 

Adams,  John  Quincy,  462,  482 

Adams,  Sarah  P.  450 

Adamson,  John,  57 

Addison,  Joseph,  210,  211. 

Additional  Hymn  Book  (Ryle),  519 

Additional  Hymns  (Lutheran,  1834),  414 
(Refd.  Dutch)  1831,  40s;  1847,  406 
(Tyng),  401 

Additional  Psalmody,  159 

Additional  Selection  (Andrews),  401 

Address  at  200th  Anniversary,  ist  Bapt.  Ch., 
Boston,  204 

Advent  Christians,  430 

Advent  Harp,  429 

Adventists,  1843-1887,  428 

Advice  to  a  young  clergyman,  222 

Adgate,  Andrew,  192,  193 

Adler,  Felix,  582 

African  Meth.  Episc.  Church,  306 

African  Meth.  Episc.  Zion  Church,  307 

African  Methodist  Hymn  and   Tune  Book, 
307 

A^e  to  come  Adventists,  431 

Ainger,  A.  C,  569 

Ainsworth,  Henry,  loi 

Aitken,  W.  M.  H.,  520 

Albright,  Jacob,  314 

Albright,  M.  C,  577 

Alderson,  Eliza  S.,  516  1 

Alexander,  Archibald,  381,  382 

Alexander,  Cecil  F.,  516,  531 

Alexander,  W.  Lindsay,  157,  459 

Alford,  Henry,  513,  518 

Alger,  William  R.,  468 

Alison,  Francis,  188 

Allen,  James,  323,  325,  326 

Alline,  Henry,  366,  367 

Allison,  Burgis,  200 

Allon,  Henry,  456,  459,  508,  522,  525 

Altar,  the  (Williams),  514 

Altar  Hymnal,  514,  529 

Alteration  of   Hymns,  see   Hymn  "Tinker- 
ing" 

Ambrosian  hymns,  39,  205,  498 

American  Bibliography  (Evans),   162,   199, 
271,  338,  359 

American    Christian    Missionary    Society, 
371 

American  Church  History  series,  327,  410, 
421,  424 

American  Journal  of  Education,  378 

.\merican  Millenial  Association,  429,  430 

American  Presbylerianism  (Briggs),  179 


American  Revisions  of  Watts'  Psalms,  166, 

194 
American  Theological  Review,  476 
Amis,  Lewis  R.,  312 
Amsterdam,  loi 

Ancient  Hymns  of  Holy  Church,  543 
Anderson,  C,  146 
Anderson,  J.  S.,  146 
Andover  Seminary,  475,  476 
Andrews,  C.  W.,  401 
Anglican  Hymn  Book,  513 
Anglican    hymns    and    church    music,    see 

England,  Church  of 
Anglican  Hymnology,  25 
Anglo-Catholic  ideal,  see  Hymnal 
Antials  of  English  Presbytery,  130 
Annali  of  Low-church  Party,  soO 
Annals  of  Scottish  Printing,  33 
Annals  of  Unitarian  Pulpit,  177 
Annotations  on  the  Hymnal  (Hutchins),  546 
Annual  Report,  Am.  Hist.  Assn.,  326 
Annus  Sanctus,  44 
Anstice,  Joseph,  515 
Anthems,  43,  183,  243,  523 
Anti-Burghers,  154 
Anti-effort  Baptists,  203 
Antrim,  Jacob,  31a 
Anxious  bench,  293 
Anthologia  Davidica,  445 
Apology  (Barclay),  95 
Apology  for  Printers,  162 
Apostles'  Creed,  27,  29,  30,  34,  77 
Appel,  Theo.,  548 
Appendix  (Boston),  173 
(Cecil),  352 
(Venn),  352 
Appendix  from  the  Olney  Hymns,  201 
Appendix   to   Hymns   ancient   and   modern, 

510,  S16,  S20 
Appendix  to  Hymnal  Companion  (Bell),  520 
Appendix  to  Tate  and  Brady  (Boston),  173 
Appendix  to  Walker's  Psahns  and  Hymns, 

520 
Apple-tree  hymn,  202 
Arber,  Edward,  92 
Archibald,  Robert,  189 
Arian  movement  in  England,  130;  in  New 

England,  172 
Arminian   Theology:    Wesleyan,    232,    358; 

General    Baptist,    91;   American   Bap- 
tist,  198,  362 
Arminian  Magazine,  235,  236 
Arnold,  John,  346 
Arnold,  Matthew,  446 
Arnold,  Thomas,  44s 
Amot,  David,  532 
Amot,  William,  526 
Arrangement  of  Watts  with  Selection,  204 
Art  of  Singing  (Law),  193 
Asbury,  Francis,  281,  283,  289 
Ash  and  Evans'  Collection,  144,  259 
Aspland,  Ro'oert,  135 
Asplund,  John,  200 
Associate  Presbytery:   N.  Y.,   180;   N.   C, 

190 
At  the  interment  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  462 
Athanasian  Creed,  28,  36 
Athenaeum,  318,  569 
Athenian  Oracle,  221 
Auber,  Harriet,  444 
Augsburg,  560 


591 


■■>92 


INDEX 


Augustine  on  the  Hymn,  s83 
Austin,  John,  69,  76,  77,  79.  206,  224 
Authors  and  Friends  (Fields),  470 
Ayres,  Anne,  398,  399 


Babcock,  Rufus  Jr.,  363 

Bacon,  Leonard,  37s 

Bacon,  Leonard  W.,  477.  SS6 

Badger,  J.,  480 

Bailey,  John,  146 

Bailey,  Wesley,  305 

BailUe,  Robert,  Letters  and  Journals  of,  102 

Baird,  A.  J.,  SS6 

Baker,  Sir  H.  W.,  509,  SI5 

Bakewell,  John,  254 

Balleine,  G.  R.,  329,  344,  350,  SIQ 

Ballou,  Adin,  425 

Ballou,  Hosea,  424,  425 

Ballou,  Silas,  423 

Bangs,  Nathan,  291 

Baptismal  hymns,  87,   lOO,   198,   I99,  362, 

400 
Baptist  Confessions  of  Faith  (McGlothlin), 

197 
Baptist  Church  Hymnal,  452,  523 
Baptist  Harp,  36s 

Baptist  Hymn  [and  Tune]  Book,  558,  SS9 
Baptist  Hymn  Book,  363 
Baptist  Hymn  writers  and  their  Hymns,  143, 

14s,  200,  202 
Baptist  Hymnal  (General  Bap.),  452 

(Phila.),  559 
Baptist  Praise  Book,  559 
Baptist  Psalmody,  365 
Baptist  Register,  200 
Baptisterion,  PI 'ladelphia,  hymn  used  at, 

198 
Baptistery,  the  (Williams),  S14 
Baptist's  Hymn  Book,  146 
Baptists:  England: 

General:      1606-1733,     their     prejudice 
against  singing,  91 
1770-1851,  hymn  books,  142,  432 
1879-191S,  the  modern  period,  452 
Particular:  1673-167S.  Keach  introduces 
hymns,  96 
1675-1692,  Controversie  of  singing,  98 
1690-1722,  Stennett's  hymn  used,  100 
1720-1769,  Era  of  Watts,  143 
1760-1844,  homiletical  Hymnody,  144 
1809-1837,  high  Calvinist  books,   14S, 

146 
1734-1792,  Baptist  hymn  writing,  213 
1858-1915,  the  modern  period,  452 
United     States:     17 16,    Welsh    Baptists 
adopt  Singing.  197 
1728-1771,     gradual     introduction    of 

singing  in  New  England,  196 
1741-1770,   spreading  use  of    Watts, 

198 
1766-1831,    Baptist    Supplements    to 

Watts,  198-201 
1784-1843,  "Spiritual  Songs,"  201-203 
1818-1827,    Efforts    at    improvement, 

204 
1766-1849,  the  Evangelical  Hymnody, 
361-365  .   .  ,        .,     .     , 

1850-191S,  mamtammg  a  homiletical 

Hymnody,  558 
Baptist  hymn  writers,  365 
Baptists  and  camp  meetings,  297 
Anti-effort  Baptists,  203 
Scotland:  Early  Baptist   hymn  singing, 
157 
Barbauld,  Anna  L.,  133.  i37.  140.  216 
Barbauld,  Anna  L.,  Memoir  of,  137 
Barclay,  John,  158,  1 59 
Barclay,  Robert  {Apology),  95 


Barclay,  Robert  (Inner  Life  of  the  Religious 

Societies),  92,  94,  95,  96 
Baring-Gould,  Sabine,  516 
Barker,  Charles  C,  430 
Barker,  John,  131 

Barlow,  Joel,  167,  187,  193,  194,  195 
Barnard,  Chas.  P.,  461 
Bamby,  Sir  Joseph,  514,  537,  556 
Barrett,  George  S.,  459 
Barrowe,  H.,  102 
Bartol,  Cyrus  A.,  464,  467,  468 
Barton,  Bernard,  436 
Barton  Hymns,  142,  143 
Barton,  William,  60,  61,  62,  63,  71,  80,  82, 

84,  8s,  88,  93,  105,  113 
Bassandyne,  Thomas,  33 
Bassett,  A.  H.,  308,  309 
Batterson,  H.  G.,  546 
Batty,  Christopher,  325,  326 
Baudie  Song,  33 
Bay  Psalm  Book,  47,  66,  104,  163,  164,  165, 

196,  197:  Prince's  revision,  165,  166 
Baxter,  M.,  279 
Baxter,  Richard,  53,  70,  71,  82-S5,  88,  105, 

206 
Beard,  John  R.,  139 
Bayley,  D.,  173 
Beauties  of  Dr.  Watts,  323 
Beddome,  Benjamin,  215 
Bedell,  E.  A.,  S50,  SSL  s8o 
Beecher,  Charles,  389,  474 
Beecher,  Henry  Ward,  268,  473-476,  477, 

544 
Beecher,  Henry  Ward  (L.  Abbott),  473 
Beecher,  Henry  Ward,  Biography  of,  473,  474 
Beecher,  Lyman,  389 
Beecher,  W.  C,  474 

Belknap,  Jeremy,  172,  174,  175,  396,  397 
Bell,  Charles  D.,  520 
Beman,  N.  S.  S.,  384,  385 
Benedicite,  28,  36.  77,  81 
Benedict,  David,  203,  366,  422 
Benedictus,  28,  77 
Benham,  D.,  263 
Benjamin,  Jonathan,  373 
Bennett,  H.  L.,  43 
Benson,  Archbishop,  445,  517 
Benson,  Arthur  C,  569 
Benson,  L.  P.,  114,  116,  118,  132,  166,  194, 

212,  365 
Benson,  R.  M.,  516 
Bentivoglio  and  Urania,  78 
Bentley,  William,  170,  174 
Benlley,  William,  Diary  of,  170,  174 
Bereans,  158 
Berg,  J.  P.,  410 
Bergen,  Classis  of,  407 
Berridge,  John,  320,  329,  330,  331,  336 
Bethune,  Geo.  W.,  385,  407 
Bever,  Joseph,  313 
Beveridge,  William,  49,  340 
Bible  in  English,  39,  40;  and  see  Scripture 
Bible  Christians,  279 
Bible  Psalter,  528 
Biblical  Repertory,  377 
Bibliography  of  Shaker  Literature,  428 
Bibliotheca  Sacra,  47S,  576 
Bickersteth,  Edward,  506 
Bickersteth,  Edward  H.,  448,  506,  518,  519 
Biddulph,  Thomas  T.,  3S2 
Biggs,  L.  C,  546 
Billings,  William,  169,  170,  192 
Binney,  Thomas,  455 
Bird,  Frederic  M.,  253,  386,  387.  412,  413. 

414,  417,  418,  458,  560 
Birkbeck,  W.  J.,  569 

Birmingham,  New  Meeting,  134;  Old,  134 
Bisley,  499 
Black,  John,  187 
Blackwood's  Magazine,  532 


INDEX 


593 


Blair,  Hugh,  153,  194 

Blair,  Samuel,  186,  192 

Blew,,WiIliam  J..  508,  SIS 

Bliss,  P.  P.,  485.  486,  487 

Blomfield,  Dorothy,  SI7 

Blow,  Dr.,  79 

Boaden,  Edward,  255 

Boardman,  H.  A.,  544 

Bode,  J.  E.,  S17 

Bohemian  Brethren,  21,  262 

Bohler,  Peter,  227,  263 

Boker,  George  H.,  309 

Bolles,  E.  C,  482 

Bonar,  Horatius,  35,  430,  476,  526,  538 

Bonar,  James,  537 

Bonnie  Doon,  310 

Book  of  Common  Order,  35 

Book  of  Common  Praise  (Canada),  512 

Book  of  Common  Praise:  annotated  Edition 

(Jas.  Edm.  Jones),  512 
Book  of  Common  Prayer: 

IS49.  40.  41.  351 

ISS2,  30,  40,  41 

1662,  44,  82,  83 

1786  (U.  S.),  390,  391 

1790  (U.  S.),  395,  396 

Rescensions  of:  Clarke's,   133;  Wesley's, 

see  Sunday   Service;  Baxter's,    82,    84; 

King's   Chapel,  466;    Proposed  Book, 

390,  391 

Book  of  Common  Song  (Murphy),  540 

Book  of  Hymns  (Longfellow  and  Johnson), 

463,  466 
Book  of  Hymns  and  Tunes  (Longfellow),  471 
Book  of  Mormon,  431 
Book  of  Poems  (Chadwick),  472 
Book  of  Praise  (Palmer),  69,  446,  457 
Book  of  Praise  for  Children,  457 
Book  of  Prayer  for  the  Church  and  Home, 

482 
Book  of  Psalms  Englished  (Ainsworth),  10 1 
Book  of  Psalms  in  metre  (Barton),  60,  61 
Book  of  Worship  (1867),  s6i;  (1871),  561 

(New  Church),  563 
Booke  of  the  Universall  Kirk,  33 
Booth,  William,  485 
Borthwick,  Jane,  507,  539 
Boston:  Arianism,  174 

Baldwin  Place,  198 

Baptist  churches,  199 

Billings'  Lamentation  over,  169 

Brattle  Street,  165,  172,  173,  17S 

Bulfinch  Street,  424 

Church  of  the'  Disciples,  462,  470 

First  Baptist  Church,  204 

First  Parish,  171,  471 

Hollis  Street,  173 

King's  Chapel,  17s,  461,  466,  472 

Memorial  History  of,  165,  I74 

Music  Hall  (T.  Parker),  464 

Old  South,  i6s,  166 

Presbytery  of,  180 

Transcript,  462 

Trinity,  214,  396 

West  Church,  173,  174,  177 
Boston  Collection   of  sacred   and   devotional 

Hymns,  199 
Bourne,  Hugh,  275,  276,  277 
Bourne,  W.  St.  H.,  si7 
Bowring,  John,  139,  141,  436 
Boyd,  A.  K.  H.,  532,  534 
Boyd,  Zachary,  56,  S7>  S8,  60 
Boyse,  Joseph,  87,  88,  100,  105 
Brace,  Seth  C,  385 
Bradbury,  Thomas,  126 
Bradbury,  William  B.,  310,  428,  479,  484 
Bradford,  William,  359 
Brady,  Nicholas,  48:  see  New  Version 
Brailsford,  E.  J.,  25s 
Brattle  Square  Collection,  173,  175 


Brattle  Street  Church,  Boston,    165,    173, 

173.  175 
Brattle,  Thomas,  173 
Bray,  Mr.,  229 
Breach  repaired,  98 
Breckell,  John,  140 
Brethren,  the,  199.  367 
Brethren's  Hymn  and  Tune  Book,  368 
Brethren's  Hymnal,  368 
Brethren's  Hymnody,  368 
Breton,  Sir  Nicholas,  64 
Brettell,  Jacob,  140 

Breviary:   Roman,  23,  24,  37,    40,    43,  44, 
70,  404,  495.  496.  408,  499,  500,  SOI 

Quignon's,  40,  41,  70 

Sarum,  39,  503,  5 14.  S70 

Paris,  495.  496,  499,  50 1 
Breviary,  Hymns  of:  see  Office  Hymns 
Brevint,  Dr.,  224,  234 
Brewster,  C.  W.,  166 
Bridges,  Robert,  448,  568 
Brief  Discourse  concerning  Singing,  98 
Brief  List  of  Hymn  Books  (Higham),  106 
Briggs,  Charles  A.,  179 
Briggs,  George  W.,  463,  470 
Bright,  William,  516 
Brinley  Catalogue,  202 
Bristol,  96,  97,  99,  227,  22S 
British  Banner,  455 
British  Magazine,  495,  496,  5 14.  5 18 
British  Weekly,  278 
Britannica  (Encyc),  vii 
Broadmead  Records,  96,  97,  99 
Broadus,  Andrew,  203 
Brooke,  W.  T.,  44,  344 
Brooklyn:    New    Chapel,    471;    Plymouth 

Church,  473;  rink,  487;  St.  Ann's,  398 
Brooks,  Charles  T.,  468 
Brooks,  Phillips,  568 
Brotherhood,  582,  584,  586 
Brown,  W.  C,  300 
Browne,  Simon,  62,  105,  213 
Browne,  Sir  Thomas,  70 
Browning  of  Rothwell,  104 
Browning,  Robert,  450 
Brownlie,  John,  S05 
Bruce,  Alexander  B.,  537 
Bruce,  Michael,  151 
Bruce,  William,  S37 
Brunson,  Alfred,  297 
Bryant,  W.  C,  177.  468 
Brydges,  M.,  518 
Buck,  W.  C,  363 
Buckden,  354 
Buckham,  J.  W.,  471 
Buckoll.  Henry  J.,  507 
Buist,  CJeorge,  194 
Bulfinch,  S.  G.,  468 
Bull,  Josiah,  337 
Bullen,  A.  H.,  65 
Bullock,  J.  F.  W..  570 
Bumpus,  J.  S.,  508 
Bunting,  W.  M.,  25s 
Bunyan,  John,  98 
Burder,  (5eorge,  127 
Burgess,  Daniel,  88 
Burgess,  George,  545 
Burgess,  William  P.,  246,  250,  2S9 
Burleigh,  William  H.,  468 
Bumham,  Richard,  200,  215 
Bumap,  U.  C,  550 
Btims,  James  D.,  538 
Burrage,  H.  S.,  143,  145,  200,  202 
Burt,  N.  C,  477 
Bury,  Samuel,  88,  89,  105 
Butcher,  E.,  140 
Butts,  Thomas.  240 
Bye  paths  in  Baptist  History  (Goadby),  93, 


Byfie^^! 


,  166 


594 


INDEX 


Byles,  Mather,  173 

Byron,  Lord,  435,  436,  438,  4SI 


Cadogan,  W.  B.,  350 

Calamy,  E.,  83,  84,  130 

Calkins,  R.,  583 

Calm  Enquiry  (Tomkins),  131 

Calvin,  John:  his  part  in  Church  Song,  21, 
22,  23,  26,  27,  220;  his  Psalter,  27,  55; 
his  influence  in  the  Prayer  Book,  42 

Calvinism:  and  Cranmer,  42 

of  Watts,  209,  574;  Whitefield,  3S8; 
Methodist  Controversy  and  division,  232, 
31S,  322,  323,  324,  329,  333;  Mote's, 
147;  Bumham's,  200;  Maxfield's,  322; 
Toplady's,  323,  333,  33(>;  Early  Evan- 
gelicals', 336;  high  Calvinistic  Bap- 
tists', 146;  in  the  modem  church,  575 

Calvinistic  Methodism  in  Wales,  232,  324 

Calvinistic  Reformation,  Psalmody  of,  vii, 
22,  109 

Cambridge  History  of  English  Literature,  20, 
121 

Cambridge  Press  Psalters,  347 

Camp  Meeting:  its  origin,  291;  develop- 
ment of  songs,  291;  song  books,  294; 
the  new  type  of  Hymn,  293,  311;  in 
England,  275,  277;  the  General  camp 
meeting,  297;  decline  of,  298 

Camp  Meeting  Chorister.  296 

Camp  Meeting  Methodists,  277.  3ii 

Campbell,  Alexander,  370,  371,  372 

Campbell,  Alexander,  Memoirs  of  (Richard- 
son), 371 

Campbell,  Duncan,  126 

Campbell,  John,  453,  455 

Campbell,  Thomas,  438 

Campbellite  Baptists,  370 

Campion,  Thomas,  65 

Campion,  Thomas:  songs  and  masques  (Bvd- 
len),  65 

Canada:  Church  of  England  in,  512 
Methodists,  280 
Presbyterian  Church  in,  541,  543 

Canterbury  tune,  76 

Canterbury  cathedral,  518 

Canticles,  the  Prayer  Book:  in  metre,  28- 
31,  55.  56,  84;  in  prose,  use  of  in  dis- 
sent, 523,  528;  by  Puritans,  31,  55,  56, 
84 

Capito,  Wolfgang,  31 

Cappe,  N.,  134 

Cardwell,  E.,  82,  83 

Carlisle,  Penna.,  First  Presbytn.  Church, 
191 

Carlyle,  Alexander,  153 

Carlyle,  Joseph  D.,  353.  435 

Carmina  Christo,  323 

Caritas  Anglicana,  343 

Carols,  19,  20 

Carpenter,  Benjamin,  133 

Carpenter,  Lant,  135,  137,  138,  140 

Carus,  William,  352 

Cary,  Phoebe  and  Alice,  482 

Caryl,  Joseph,  103 

Casander,  George,  496 

Cases  of  conscience,  102,  161 

Cases  of  conscience  about  singing  of  Psalms, 
161 

Caswall,  Edward,  501,  518,  544.  552 

Catalogue  of  Charles  Higham  and  Son,  346 

Catalogue  of  Stinnecke  Maryland  Episcopal 
Library,  287 

Catechisms  of  the  Second  Reformation,  35 

Cathedral,  the  (Williams),  514 

Catholic  Elements  in  Prayer  Book,  493 
ideal  in  Hymnody,   501,   504,   511,   SI3. 

514 
(Roman)  use  of  English  hymns,  577 


Cawood,  John,  353 

Cecil,  Richard,  349,  3S0 

Cennick,  John,  266,  270,  273,  316,  317.  3i9 

Century  of  select  Hymns  (Barton),  61 

Century  of  select  Psalms  (Patrick),  53.  54 

Chad  wick,  J.  W.,  472 

Chandler,  John,  467,  40S,  Soo,  S17 

Channing,  W.  E.,  46S 

Chanting,  see  Canticles,  Psalter 

Chants  and  Tunes  for  Bk.  Com.  Pr.,  401 

Chapel  Hymn  Book,  461 

Chapel  Hymnal,  555 

Chapel  Hyfnns,  389 

Chapin,  E.  H.,  481,  482 

Chapman,  R.  C,  507 

Charities,  London,  and  Hymnody,  343 

Charity  children,  222,  34s 

Charity  hymns,  344 

Charles  I,  67;  II,  82,  103 

Charleston,  S.  C,  226;  Presbytery  of,  193 

Charlestown,  165 

Chatfield,  A.  W.,  50S,  5i7 

Chaucer,  450 

Chauncy,  Charles,  164 

Chautauqua,  312 

Cheere,  Abraham,  121 

Cheshire  Association,  463,  467,  470 

Chester  tune,  169 

Chesterton,  G.  K.,  569 

Children's  hymns:  Watts'  predecessors,  121; 

Watts',  121;  Wesley's,  238;  Moravian, 

273;    London    Charities',    344;    Hill's, 

328;  Presbyterian,  383,  537;  Reformed 

Dutch,  406;  Unitarian,  461;  Lutheran, 

418;    Neale's,    503;    Mrs.    Alexander's, 

516;    American    Sunday    school,    484; 

Allon's,  456;  New  Church,  564;  Irish 

Presbyterian,  539 
Children's  Worship,  456 
Child's  Evening  Prayer  (Coleridge),  436 
China  (tune),  170 
Choice,  the.  203 
Choice  Collection  of  Hymns  (Phila.,   1782), 

199 
(Moravian),  271 
Choice  Collection  of  Hymns  and  Spiritual 

Songs  (Phila.,  1814),  295 
Choice  Collection  of  Hymns  .  .  .  for  Baptist 

Church  in  Philadelphia,  199 
Choice  Collection  of  Spiritual  Songs  (Men- 

nonite),  369 
Choice  Selection  of  Evangelical  Hymns  (Wil- 

liston),  413,  414 
Choice  Selection  of  Hymns  (Dunker),  368 
Choice   Selection   of  Hymns   and   Spiritual 

Songs  (Windsor),  296 
Choir,  the,  243,  276,  277 
Choir    Encroachment    on    Congregational 

Song:  see  Congregational  Singing 
Choirs:   Methodist,    242;    Moravian,    273; 

Cennick's,  317 
Chope,  R.  R.,  SIS 
Clioral  Buch  (1784),  270 
Choral  Harmony  (Maurice),  520 
Chorale  Book  for  England,  507 
CItorus,  the,  300 
"choruses,"  297,  314 
Christ  in  Song,  SS3 
Christian,  the,  486 
Christian  Commission,  483,  484 
Christian  Commonwealth,  571 
Christian  Disciple,  176,  468 
Christian  Endeavor  Society,  491 
Christian  Examiner,  141,  460,  462,  465,  467, 

481 
Christian  Harmonist,  204 
Christian  History,  164 
Christian  Hymn  Book,  371;  (1863),  481 
Christian  Hymnal,  431 
(Sewall),  563 


INDEX 


595 


Chrislian  Hymns  (Relly),  327,  421,  422,  423 
(Cheshire  Assoc).  463,  467 
(Univ.).  424 
Christian  Instructor  (Pictou),  366 
Christian  Intelligencer,  406,  550 
Chrislian  Lyre,  377,  378,  379.  477 
Christian  Mission  (Booth's).  485 
Christian  Observer,  137,   138.  130.  353.  355. 

375.  436,  438,  5 18 
Christian  Poet,  436 
Christian  Praise  (Thompson),  550 

(Richards),  557 
Christian  Psalmist  (Montgomery),  205,  255, 
436,  441.  442 
(Mason).  388 
Christian  Psalmody  (Bickersteth),  506 
Christian  Psalter,  461,  471 
Christian  Remembrancer,  260.  443,  445,  497, 

500,  501 
Christian  Review,  364,  365 
Christian  Sacrament  and  Satrifice,  224 
Christian  Sacrifice  of  Praises,  341 
Christian  Science,  577 
Christian  Science  Hymnal,  577 
Christian  Songs  (Glas),  156,  158,  326 
Christian  Songster  (Bever),  313 
Christian  Spectator,  373,  378 
Christian  Teacher  and  Chronicle,  139 
Christian  Work  and  Evangelist,  588 
Christian  Worship  (Osgood),  465 
Christian  Year,  the,  in  English  Hymnody: 
Church  of  England,  39,  68,  69,  70,  80. 
229,     251,     351,     442,     493-500,     510; 
Congregationalist    and    Baptist,     523. 
524;  Scotland,   540;  American  Episco- 
pal,  392,   544.   545;  Reformed   Dutch, 
404;     Lutheran,     415;     German     Re- 
formed,  549;   Presbyterian,   551;  Con- 
gregational, 557;  general,  573.  574 
Christian  Year  (Keble).  436,  493,  514.  544 
Christianismus  primilivus,  92 
Christians,  296,  366,  370,  480 
Christian's  Duty,  200,  367,  368 
Christian's  Pocket  Companion,  202 
Chronological   Summary:   Synod   of  Penna. 

(Luth.),  416 
Church  Book  (Bacon),  556 

(Lutheran),  560,  561 
Church  control  of  congregational  song,  26, 
30.  33.  34.  35.  47.  48.  49.  50-59.  81,  93, 
180,   183,   188,  354.  355.  356.  380,  396, 
402,  405,  408,  531.  536.  545.  550.  554 
Church  Harmonies,  482 
Church  Hymn  Book  (Blew),  508 
(Canada),  512 
(Hatfield),  366,  553 
(Henkel),  415 
Church  Hymnal  (Batterson),  546 
(Cooke  and  Denton),  509 
(Irish),  512 
(Hutchins),  546 
Church  Hymnary  (Bedell),  551 

(Scottish).  538,  539,  S42 
Church  Hymns  (S.  P.  C.  K.).  68,  506,  SI7; 
ed.  1903,  568 
(Stretton),  500 
Church  Hymns  and  Gospel  Songs,  490 
Church  music,  see  Congregational  Singing 

and  Organ 
Church  Music  (Bacon),  477 
Church  of  England,  see  England 
Church  of  England  Hymn   Book  (Thring), 

447 
Church  of  England  Hymnal  (Bell),  520 
Church  of  England  Psalmody,  520 
Church  of  God,  369 
Church  Poetry  (Muhlenberg),  398,  439 
Church  Praise,  527,  528 
Church  Psalmist,  384,  385.  3S6,  387,  388 
Church  Psalmody  (Mason),  363,  379.  383 


Church  Psalter  and  Hymn  Book,  508 

Church  of  Scotland,  see  Scotland 

Church  Service  Society,  534 

Church  Song  (Stryker),  557 

Church  Year,  see  Christian  Year 

Churches  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  431 

Churchman,  the,  386,  512,  556,  571 

Churchmanship  of  John  Wesley,  223 

Cliurton,  E.,  516 

City  Road  (jhapel,  236  1 

Civil  War,  (U.  S.),  368,  483,  484,  560,  561 

CL  Psalms  of  David  in  English  metre,  33 

Clapham  Sect,  353 

Clark,  Alexander,  309 

Clarke,  J.  Freeman,  462,  468,  470 

Clarke,  James  Freeman:  Autobiography,  470 

Clarke,  Samuel,  133 

Clarke,  W.  A.,  145 

Clayton,  W.,  433 

Cleveland,  Benjamin,  200 

Clichtoveus,  40 

Clifton,  445 

Cluster  of  Spiritual  Songs,  203 

Cofhn,  Henry  S.,  584 

Coffin,  Joshua,  166 

Cohansey,  197 

Coke,  Thomas,  281,  282,  283,  287 

Coleridge,  S.  T.,  435,  436,  451 

Coles,  Abraham,  543 

Coles,  V.  S.  C,  516 

Collection  of  above  600  Hymns,  128 

Collection   of  Christian   Songs   and   Hymns 
(Glasgow),  156 

Collection  of  divine  Hymns  (1694),  105 

Collection  of  divine  Songs  (Berridge),  330 

Collection  of  Evangelical  Hyinns  (Strebeck), 
412 
(Stanford),  200 

Collection  of  Hymn  Tunes  (Jacob),  328 

Collection  of  Hymns  (Burder),  127 
(Dana).  544.  (Flint),  462 
(Lee),  321 
(Wesley),  234 

Collection  of  Hymns  adapted  to  public  wor- 
ship (Ash  and  Evans),  144,  259 

Collection  of  Hymns  and  Liturgy   (Luth.), 
414.  416.  417 

Collection  of  Hymns  and  Prayers,  419 

Collection  of  Hymns  and  Psalms  (Kippis), 
132,  134.  135 

Collection   of  Hymns   and   Spiritual   Songs 
(Glasgow),  156 
(Edinburgh),  156 
(Sinclair),  157 

Collection  of.  Hymns  approved  by  Presbytery 
of  Charleston,  193 

Collection  of  Hymns  chiefly  Extracted  from 
the  larger  Hymn  Book,  269 

Collection  of  Hymns  designed  as  an  Appen- 
dix (Russell),  128 

Collection  of  Hymns  designed  as  a  Supple- 
ment (Upton),  146 

Collection  of  Hyjnns  for  .  .  .  Bible  Chris- 
tians, 279 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  camp  meetings,  276 

Collection  of  Hymns  fen-  children  (Hill),  328 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  children  of  Cod, 
264,  265,  266,  267,  268,  269,  404 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  Christian  Worship, 
156 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  Mulberry  Gardens, 
323 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  public  and  private 
use  (Beard),  139 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  public  and  private 
worship  (Luth.),  420 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  public,  social  and 
domestic  worship  (M.  E.  So.),  299 

Collection    of    Hymns    for    public    worship 
Bentley),   174 


596 


INDEX 


Colleclion  of  Hymns  for  social  worship 
(Madan  and  Whitefield),  359 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  Societies  (Ingham), 
325 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  Tabernacles, 
157 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  those  that  seek  (Ing- 
ham), 325 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  Unitarian  Chris- 
tians, 138 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  Chris- 
tians (Smith),  296 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  M.  E. 
Church,  290 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  the  People 
called  Methodists  (1780),  231,  236,  245, 
248,  250,  274,  27s,  278,  279,  280,  287, 
288,  290,  313 
contents,  246,  268;  revision,  246;  metres, 
254;  method,  249;  compared  with 
Watts'  "System,"  246;  as  manual  of 
Methodist  discipline,  244;  J.  Wesley 
on,  249;  Martineau  on,  249;  its  unique- 
ness, 250 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  Protestant 
Church  of  the  United  Brethren  (1789), 
270,  412 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  use  of  United 
Brethren;  (1833),  312;  (1849),  3i3 

Collection  of  Hymns  for  West  Society,  174 

Collection  of  Hymns  from  best  authors 
(Ewing),  157 

Collection  of  Hymns  from  various  authors 
(Spence),  238 

Collection  of  Hymns  .  .  .  on  general  prin- 
ciples, etc.,  133 

Collection  of  Hymns  sung  in  Countess  of 
Huntingdon' s  Chapel:  Bristol,  321,  323; 
Bath,  321;  Sussex,  321,  324 

Collection  of  Hymns  with  several  translations 
(Moravian),  263 

Collection  of  pieces  and  tracts,  176 

Collection  of  private  devotions  in  the  practice 
of  the  ancient  Church,  44 

Collection  of  Psalm  and  Hymn  Tunes 
(Madan),  330 

Collection  of  Psalms  and  divine  Hymns,  342 

Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  (Emerson), 
I7S 
(Greenwood),  461,  463 
(Kelly),  441 
(Simeon),  352 
(Wesley,  1737).  226 
(Wesley,  1738),  227 
(Wesley,  1741).  235.  263 

Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  chiefly  in- 
tended for  use  of  the  poor  (Hill),  327 

Collection  of   Psalms  and  Hymns  extracted, 
etc.  (De  Coursey),  332 
(Madan),  329 
(Ma.xfield),  322 

Colleclion  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  divine 
worship  (Pope),  132 
(Towgood),  132 

Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  the 
Lord's  Day,  238,  282 

Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  public 
worship  (Freeman),  175 
(Lindsey),  133 

Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  the 
Sanctuary  (Ellis),  463,  464 

Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  social 
and  private  worship  (West  Church),  177 
(Sewall),  176 

Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  social 
worship  (Walker),  134,  135 

Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  (for  Sur- 
sey  Chapel),  327 

Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  Uni- 
versalist  Societies  (Ballou),  425 


Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  from  various 
authors  (Conyers),  200,  331,  362 
(Fawcett),  353 
Collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  proper  for 

Christian  worship,  133 
Collection  of  Psalms   and  Hymns  sung  in 
Countess   of  Huntingdon's   Chapels   in 
Lincolnshire,  321 
Collection  of  Psalms,  Hymns  and  Spiritual 
Songs  (Dunker),  368 
(Mennonite),  369 
(Bury),  88,  105 
Collection    of  sacred   Hymns    (Latter    Day 
Saints):  431;  (Hardy),  431 
(Rigdon),  432 
Collection  of  tunes  (Wesley),  239 

(Lawrence),  90 
Collection  out  of  the  Book  of  Psalms   (Ro- 

maine),  342 
Collet,  Samuel,  133 
Collier,  William,  201 
Collins,  Henry,  515,  518 
Collins,  Hercules,  98 
Collins,  Isaac,  421 
Collyer,  William  B.,  128 
Colman,  Benjamin,  162,  173 
Columbian  musick,  17s 
Columbian  Repository,  172 
Commandments  versified, 27, 28, 33, 34, 36,77 
Commercialization  of  Hymnody,  480,  490, 

551.  555 
Common  Ground  of  Hymnody,   207,   209, 

210,  319 
Common  Praise,  513 
Common  Service  (Lutheran),  561,  562 
Communion,   hymns   at:    Church   of    Eng- 
land, 29,  31,  84 
Methodist,  251 
Presbyterian,  34,  84,  87 
Baptist,  97,  100 
Independent,  104 
Companion  to  the  Altar  (Wesley),  234 
Complaint  of  Mary,  19 
Complaint  of  a  Sinner,  29,  34 
Comtleat  Psalmodist,  346 
Comprehensive  Hymn  Book  (Campbell),  453 
Comprehensive  Rippon,  144 
Concise  History  of  Meth.  Prot.  Church,  308 
Conder,  Josiah,  65,  89,  129,  453 
Conference  Hymns,  365 
Conferences  connected  with  revision  of  Book 

of  Common  Prayer,  82,  83 
Confession  of  Faith  adopted  by  the  Baptist 

Association,  197 
Congregational  Church  Hymnal,  459,  523 
Congregational  Churches: 

Amsterdam:   161 2,  Psalmody  of  the  Ex- 
iles, lOI 
England:  Psalm  singing  and  controversy, 
102,  103 
1664-1687,  singing  under  persecution, 

103 
1675-1706,  beginning  of  hymn  singing, 

104.  105 
1707.  Watts'  description  of  Independ- 
ent Psalmody,  107 
1707-1850,  the  Era  of  Watts,  123-127 
1720-1836,  with  "Supplements,"  127- 

129 
1836-1915.  the  modem  period,  453-458 
Scotland:  1755-1814,  hymn  singing,  156, 
157 
1849-1903,  later  hymn  books,  459,  460 
United  States:  1620-1740;  Early  Psalm- 
ody; see  New  England 
1742-1791,      the      Great     Awakening 

brings  the  Era  of  Watts,  163-168 
1790-1832,  the  lesser  Awakening  sup- 
plements Watts  with  Revival  Hymn 
Books,  372-380 


INDEX 


597 


1836-184S,   the   Era   of   "Psalms  and 

Hymns,"  388,  389 
1851-1880,  the  movement  for  congre- 
gational singing,  474-480 
1880-1901,     modern    Hymnody,     557, 

5S8 
1904-1913,  Hymnody  of  the  New  The- 
ology, 580-584     ^^,,   ^^.     ^     ^ 
Congregational  History  (Waddmgton),  103 
Congregational  hymn,  the,  as  the  symbol  of 

Protestantism,  20 
Congregational   Hymn    Book    (Condor),    65, 
129.  453 
(Nason),  476 
Congregational  Hymns  (Horder),  457.  458 
Congregational  Psalmist  (Allon),  456,  522 
Congregational  Psalmist  Hymnal,  456,  523 
Congregational  Quarterly,  476 
Congregational  Singing: 

The   expression   of   religious   democracy, 

20,  584.  585 
Hussite  beginnings,  2 1 
Lutheran  and  Calvinistic  types  of,  21-24 
introduced  into   England  and   Scotland, 

22.  25-27 
Early  Enthusiasm,  51 
growth  of  indifference  toward,  45 
the  practice  of  lining  out  the  Psalm;  see 

"Lining" 
decadence  in  Church  of  England,  68,  75 
decadence  among  Nonconformists,  107 
movement  to  better  it,  89 
the    "controversie    of    singing,"    91-103, 

107,  161,  196 
Watts'  influence  on  congregational  song, 

124,  207,  216 
conditions  in  early  xviiith  century,  219; 
description  of  parochial  psalmody,  221 
the  Methodist  singing,  239-244.  254;  its 

influence,  256 
Moravian  singing,  273 
Singing  of  the  Evangelical  Revival,  316, 

317.  324,  330.  337,  343  ,.  ,  ,        , 

efforts  to   improve   parochial   psalmody, 

343-349  ^  .  , 

movements  (1852)  to  introduce  plain 
song  into  the  choirs,  503.  504;  and  to 
better  congregational  song  in  church 
and  dissent,  508,  520 
The  Anglican  hymn  tunes  give  a  new  lite 
to  congregational  song.  521,  522;  and 
greatly  modify  dissenting  and  Scottish 
church  song,  522,  523.  524.  525.  535. 
537 

United  States: 

Inconceivable  conditions  of  New  England 
congregational  song  in  early  xviiith  cen- 
turv.  161,  162  . 

the  Great  Awakening  introduces  Social 
Singing,  164  ,    ,        ,  .       ^ 

an  American  school  of  church  music,  109; 
and  efforts  to  improve  the  singing,  170, 
171.  172  .  ,        . 

the  deplorable  Presbyterian  psalmody, 
184;  and  efforts  to  better  it,  184-186. 
192,  193 

Early  Baptist  preference  for  popular 
melodies  with  choruses,  201,  203; 
and  efforts  to  chasten  it,  204 

rude  singing  of  Early  Methodists,  284, 
285;  camp  meeting  singing,  291-298; 
efforts  to  elevate  Methodist  singing, 
298,  301 

revival  influences  of  the  early  xixth  cen- 
tury favor  the  introduction  of  lighter 
music  in  Congregational  and  Presby- 
terian churches.  375~37  7:  which  Hast- 
ings and  Lowell  Mason  combat,  377- 


by  the  mid-century  the  singing  is  all  in 
the  hands  of  the  choir,  and  the  people 
sit  unconcerned:  the  Presbyterians, 
386-388;  Congregationalists,  388,  389; 
Reformed  Dutch,  406;  Lutherans,  417; 
Unitarians,  470 
Beecher  leads  a  movement  (185 1)  for 
congregational  singing,  473,  474;  giv- 
ing the  tunes  to  the  people,  477,  478 
the  tunes  of  the  Oxford  Revival  give  a 
new  interest  to  American  church  song, 
546,  547,  551.  552.  555.  558,  559,  560 
the  Gospel  Hymn  movement  affects ' 
church  song  from  the  one  side,  482- 
492,  567;  while  choir  encroacliment 
still  threatens  it  from  the  other,  547 

Congregational  Song  as  a  church  ordinance, 
20;  with  Scriptural  authority,  23 

Congregational  Sunday  school  and  Publish- 
ing Society,  580 

CongregationaUst,  the,  476,  582 

Conjoint  Singing,  94,  96 

Connecticut  Association,  166,  167,  194,  374, 
375 

Connexion  Hymn  Book  with  Supplement,  323 

Constitution  of  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  403, 
404 

Contents  of  a  folio  History  of  the  Moravians, 
268 

Controversie  of  Singing,  91-103,   107.  161, 
196 

Controversie  of  Singing  brought  to  an  End, 
98,  99 

Controversy  on  important  Theological  Ques- 
tions, 455 

Conventicle  Act  (1664),  85.  103 

Conyers.  Richard,  200,  331.  362 

Cooke  and  Denton's  Church  Hymnal,  509 

Cooke,  W.,  514 

Cooper,  Ezekiel.  289 

Cooper,  George,  523 

Copeland  B.,  312 

Coronation  (tune),  170 

Coronation  Hymnal,  580 

Cosin,  John,  44,  77,  206 

Cotterill,  Thomas,  353.  355.  356,  399 

Cotton,  John,  102 

Countess  of  Huntingdon's  Connexion  Hymn 
Book,  323 

Course  of  Time  (PoUok),  436 

Courthope,  W.  J.,  25,  115.  253 

Courtney,  John,  202 

Cousin,  Anne  Ross,  539 

Coverdale,  Myles.  25,  26,  39 

Coverdale,  Myles,  Remains  of,  26 

Cowan  and  Love's  Music  of  Church  Hym- 
nary.  542 

Cowpcr,  William,  v,  337.  338,  339.  340 

Cox,  Frances  E.,  507 

Cox,  L.  J.,  309 

Cox,  R.[D.],  31,  33.  34 

Cox,  Samuel  K.,  312 

Coxe,  Arthur  C  545 

Crafurd,  Thomas.  57 

Cranmer.  Thomas,  39.  40.  41.  42,  43.  495 

Cranmer,   Miscellaneous   Writings  and  Let- 
ters of.  39,  40 

Crashaw,  Richard,  66,  67,  69,  79.  88 

Crawford,  G.  A.,  512 

Creamer,   David,   231,   245.   289,   291,  308, 

as 

Creed,  Apostles',  27,  28,  29.  30,  34.  77 

Athanasian,  28.  36 
Cromer,  John,  196 
Crosby,  Fanny,  312,  4S7.  559 
Crosby,  Thomas.  97.  99 
Grossman,  Samuel,  68.  69.  206 
Croswell.  William.  398.  545 
Croswell,  William,  Memoir  of,  398 
Crucifer,  527 


598 


INDEX 


Cruden,  William,  149 
Cry  of  a  Reprobate,  232 
Cudgell  to  drive  the  Devil  out,  185 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  297,  298, 

556 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Hymnal,  556 
Cumberland  Presbytery,  297 
Cumming,  Patrick,  153 
Cummings,  Charles,  189 
Cummins,  Bishop,  548 
Curtis,  John,  436,  451 
Cutting,  S.  S.,  36s 
Curwen,  J.  S.,  90,  103,  152,  243,  273.  456, 

486,  488,  529 


Da  Pacem,  29,  31 
Dabney,  J.  P.,  177 
Daggett,  Oliver  E.,  167,  389 

Daily  Mail,  448 

Dale,  A.  W.  W.,  457 

Dale,  Lily,  433 

Dale,  R.  W.,  106,  122,  456,  457 

Dale,  R.  W.,  Life  of,  457 

Dana,  W.  C,  544 

Daniel,  H.  A.,  502 

Daniel,  J.  J.,  516 

Darby,  J.  N.,  507 

Darling,  Henry,  387 

Darling,  Thomas,  513 

Darlington,  James  H.,  547 

Darton,  F.  J.  H.,  121 

David:  Psalms  of  King  David  translated  by 
King  James,  47;  making  David  an 
XVIIIth  Century  Christian,  iii,  112, 
120 

Davidson,  Robert,  188 

Davidson,  Robert  (2nd),  190,  291,  292,  296 

Da  vies.  Sir  John,  47,  64 

Da  vies,  Samuel,  181,  212 

Davis,  Richard,  104,  105,  106 

Davis,  Valentine  D.,  135 

Davis,  W.  V.  W.,  583 

Davis,  William  C,  189 

Dayman,  E.  H.,  517 

De  Courcy,  R.,  332 

De  Witt,  Thomas,  405,  408 

Deacon,  John,  143 

Deacon,  Samuel,  142 

Dearmer,  Percy,  448,  569 

Deck,  J.  G.,  507 

Defence  of  the  Book  of  Psalms,  49 

Defence  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  loi 

Demarest,  D.  D.,  404,  406 

Democracy  of  Congregational  Song,  20, 
584;  Hymnody  of  the  new  Democracy, 
585 

Denham's  Selection,  147,  335 

Dennis,  A.  E.,  309 

Denny,  Sir  Edward,  507 

Devotional  Hymns  (Hastings),  379 

Devotional  Melodies,  301 

Devotional  pieces,  137 

Devotional  poetry:  early,  19;  under  Eliza- 
beth and  James,  64;  early  xviith  cen- 
tury, 67;  under  Charles  I,  67;  Wes- 
leyan,  220,  245,  252,  253;  Cowper's,  v, 
337;  Romantic,  43S.  436;  Tractarian, 
514;  recent,  568 

Devotional  poetry:  Johnson  on,  440 

Watts  on,  115,  252,  440;  Wesley  on,  252, 
440;  Montgomery  on,  441;  Hcber  on, 
441 

Devotional  Verses  (Barton),  436 

Devotions  in  the  ancient  way  of  Offices,  69, 
76,  224 

Dexter,  Henry  M.,  91 

Dick,  Prof.,  539,  540 

Dickins,  John,  287 

Dickinson,  Edward,  576 


Dickson  and  Edmonds"  Annals  of  Scottish 

Printing,  33 
Dickson,  James,  151 
Dictionary  of  Hymnology  (Julian),  vii,   20, 

21,  43,  44,  66,  70,  135.   I5i>  156,  278, 

321,  326,  342.  353.  445,  500,  517.  520, 

527,  571 
Dictionary  of  Music  (Grove),  75 
Dictionary  of  National  Biography,   -js,  89, 

223,  456 
Didsbury  College  Library,  227 
Differences  of  the  Churches  of  the  Separation, 

92 
Directions  given  to  the  Clergy,  341 
Directory  for  worship   (Westminster),    178, 

191 
(Presbyterian,  1788),  191 
Directory  of  Worship  (Ger.  Refd.),  549 
Disciples'  Hymn  Book,  462 
Disciples  of  Christ,  370 
Discourse  in  West  Church,  174 
Discourse  occasioned  by  death  of  Whitefield, 

183 
Discourse  on  Psalmody  (Blair),  186,  192 
Discourse  on  singing  of  Psalms  (Gill),  99 
Dissuasive  from  errors  of  the  limes,  92 
Divine  Companion,  78 
Divine  Dialogues  with  divine  Hymns,  224 
Divine  Hymns  (Rivingtons),  341 

(Smith),  202,  204 
Divine  Hymns  attempted,  328 
Divine  office;  see  Breviary,  office  Hymns 
Divine  Songs  (Watts),  120 
Divine  Songs,  Hymns  and  other  Poems,  213 
"Divine  Use  of  Music,"  78,  81 
Dix,  W.  Chatterton,  516 
Doane,  George  W.,  400,  544 
Doane,  W.  H.,  484,  559 
Dobell,  John,  121,  128 
Doctor   Watts's  Imitation  of  the  Psalms  of 

David  (Barlow),  167,  187,  193,  194,  195 
Doctrine:  doctrinal  basis  of  English  Hym- 
nody, 574 
changing  doctrine  reflected  in  it,  575 
how  such  change  affects  Hymnody,  576 
Hymnody  of  the  New  Theology,  578 
Doctrine    and    Covenants    given    to    Joseph 

Smith,  Jr.,  431 
Dodge,  Daniel,  201 
Doddridge,   Philip,   148,  263,  320,  450;  on 

Watts,  124,  125;  hymns,  211 
Doddridge,  Philip  (Stoughton),  212 
Doddridge,  Memoirs  of  Watts  and,  132 
Doddridge,  Philip,  Correspondence  and  Diary 

of,  125,  320 
Dodsworth,  W.,  500 
Donne,  John,  64,  67 
DoiTicott  and  Collins,  Lyric  Studies,  277, 

278 
Dorrington,  T.,  88 
Dort,  Synod  of,  403,  405,  408 
Dossey,  William,  203 
Double  Hymn  Book,  290 
Dover  Selection,  203 
Dow,  H.  M.,  472 
Dow,  Lorenzo,  275,  276,  277 
Dowling,  John,  365 
Downing,  J.,  342,  343 
Downton,  H.,  516 
Doxology,  130,  131,  132 
Draft  Hymnal  (Scot.,  1896),  541 
Draper,  James,  165 

Draught  of  the  Form  of  Government,  186 
"Dream,  A,"  203 
Drennan,  William,  140 
Drummond,  J.,  450 
Drummond,  W.  H.,  140 
Drummond,  William,  43,  44,  79,  444 
Dryden,  John,  44,  227 
Drysdale,  A.  H.,  8s,  130 


INDEX 


599 


Dubbs,  J.  H.,  408,  409 

Dublin  Presbyterianism,  87 

Duche',  Jacob,  344 

Duck  Creek,  182 

Duffield,  George,  Jr.,  308,  474 

Duffield,  S.  W.,  385 

Dun,  James,  155 

Duncan,  E.,  20 

Dunciad,  221 

Dundee,  Presbytery  of,  148 

Dunkers,  199,  367 

Dunn,  R.  P.,  557 

Dunn,  S.,  279 

Dupuy,  Starke,  203 

Duryea,  J.  T.,  552 

Dutch:  Psalters,  55;  rule  of  Psalmody,  402, 

40s,    408;    Reformed,    see    Reformed 

Dutch 
Dutton,  Anne,  213 
Dutton,  W.  E.,  234 
Duty  of  Christians  in  singing  the  praise  of 

God,  187 
Dwight,  Timothy,  167,  168,  194,  374.  389 
Dyer,  George,  140 
Dyer,  Sidney,  36s 

Dykes,  John  B.,  Si7.  S20,  521,  527,  S50 
Dykes,  John  Bacchus,  Life  and  Letters  of, 

520,  521 


Earle,  Jabez,  89 

Earliest  English  Music  Printing,  55 

Early  Editions  of  Watts's  Hymns,  116,  118, 

132 
Early    History   of  Independent    Church    at 

Rothwell,  104 
Early  religious  lyrics,  19 
Eastburn,  J.  W.,  400 
Eastcheap  Society  and  Lectures,  89,   100, 

108,  109,  no 
Eclectic  Review,  435,  454,  455 
Ecclesiastical  Records:  State  of  New   York, 

402,  403 
Ecclesiastical  Sonnets,  435 
Ecclesiologist,  502 
Ecclesiological  Society,  503 
Eddis,  E.  W.,  528 
Eddowes  and  Taylor's  Selection,  176,  177. 

424 
Eddy.  D.  C.  197 
Eddy,  Richard,  327,  421,  423,  424 
Eddy,  Zachary,  553 
Edinburgh,  Greyfriars,  533 
Edmeston,  James,  436 
Edmunds,  E.,  481 
Edward  VI,  40,  41,  42,  354;  prayer  books, 

40,  351;  chapel,  55 
Edward  VI  and  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 

40,  41 
Edwards,  Jonathan,  163,  164 
Edwards,  Morgan,  197,  198 
Ejaculatory  hymns,  292 
Ejectment,  85,  107 
Ela,  D.  H.,  312 
Election,  doctrine  of,  232,  323 
Eliot,  S.  A.,  175 

Elizabeth,  Queen,  39,  42,  64,  354 
Ellerton,  John,  250,  516,  517 
Ellerton,  John  (Housman),  250,  447,  517 
Elliott,  Charlotte,  518,  519 
Elliott,  H.  v.,  519:   (Mrs.,  Sip) 
Ellis,  George  E.,  463,  464 
Ellis,  Grace  A.,  137 
Ellis,  Rufus,  471 
Elson,  Louis  C.,  170 
Elucidatoriu?n,  Ecclesiasticum,  40 
Elvev,  George,  521 
Ely.  E.  S.,  295 
Emblems  (Quarles),  66 
Embury,  Philip,  281 


Emerson,  R.  W.,  177.  468 
Emerson,  William,  175,  177 
Emory,  S.  H.,  161 
Encyclopaedia  Metro politana,  502 
Enarrationes  in  Psalmos  (Augustine),  588 
Enfield,  W.,  132,  140,  175 
England,  Church  of: 
as  Psalm  singers,  22,  26 
Coverdale  episode,  25 
1562,  English  Psalter  and  its  hymns,  27- 

32,  36,  43.  55.  56 
1538-1559.    discards    the    Latin    Church 

Hymnody,  37-45 
16 19- 1696,  efforts  to  improve  the  Psalter, 

47-54 
1671-1708,     movements     to     mtroduce 

hymns,  68-71,  75-8i 
1760-1779,    Hymns    introduced    by    the 

Evangelicals,  328-340 
1724-1816,  movements  for  hymn  singing 

in  the  main  body,  340-349 
1785-1819,  Era  of  compromise  ("Psalms 

and  Hymns"),  349-357 
1827,  the  Literary  movement,  437-445, 

567-569 
1833,    movement    to    restore    the    Latin 

Church  Hymnody,  493-SOO 
1836-1858,    early    Tractarian    hymnals, 

500-506 
1 86 1,   Hymns  ancient  and  modern,   506- 

511,  568 

1862-1899.  later  literary  school,  446-449 
1870-1891.  later  Evangelical  school,  511. 

512,  518-520 

1867-1915,    later    Tractarian    hymnals, 

513,  570,  571 

the  Anglican  Hymnody,  514-518 
the  Anglican  Music,  520-522 
England,  Church  of,  in  Canada,  S12 
English  Cathedral  Music  (Bumpus),  508 
English  Hymn  Book  (Dale),  456 
English   Hymnal,   64,   448,   491,    568,    569, 

570,  571 
English  Hymns;  their  authors  and  history 

(Duffield),  385 
English  Lyric  (Schelling),  v,  253 
English  Presbyterian  Messenger,  525 
"Episcopal  Collection,"  400 
Episcopalian  prayer  meetings,  398 
Epistle  to  a  friend,  252 
Epworth,  220,  221,  222 
Erb,  Jacob,  312 
Erskine,  Ralph,  153.  216 
Erskine,  Life  of  (Eraser),  153 
Ernst,  J.  F.,  412 
Essay  on  Psalmody  (Romaine),   126,  329, 

332,  342 
Essex  Harmony,  173 
Ethical  Culture  Songs,  582,  585 
Ethics  of  Quotation,  455 
Eucharistic  Hymnal,  514 
Eucharistic  Manuals  of  J.  C.  Wesley,  234 
Euchologion,  534 
Evangelical  Adventists,  429 
Evangelical  Association,  314 
Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  398 
Evangelical  Harp,  365 
Evangelical  Hymn  Book,  314 
Evangelical  hymn  writers,   316,   323,   331, 

334.  335,  336,  353.  518 
Evangelical  Hymnal  (Hall),  556 
Evangelical    Hymnody,    the;    established, 

316,  335;  its  use  diminishing,  458 
Evangelical  Hymns  and  Songs  (Wallin),  213 
Evangelical   interpretation   of   Psalms,    52; 

evangelical  motive  for  Hymnody,  52, 

112 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Hymn  Book,  562 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Ministry  of  N.  Y., 

413 


6oo 


INDEX 


Evangelical  Psalmist,  418 

Evangelical  Psalms,   Hymns   and  Spiritual 
Songs,  422 

Evangelical  Quarterly  Review,  412,  417,  418 

Evangelical  Record,  190 

Evangelical     Revival,     315;     in     America, 
358fr.,  397 

Evangelical  Revival  in  the  Eighteenth  Cen- 
tury, 3  IS 

Evangelical  Union,  459 

Evangelical  Union  Hymn  Book,  459 

Evangelical  Union  Hymnal,  460 

Evangelical  Witness,  536 

Evangelicals:    Church    of    England,    31s, 
328ff.,  siSff. 
Church  of  Scotland,  153 

Evangelistic  hymn,  the,  247,  482flf.,  520,  567 

Evans'    American   Bibliography,    162,    199, 
271,  338,  359 

Evans,  J.  H.,  146 

Eventide,  553 

Everett,  James,  279 

Everton,  330;  (tune),  527 

Ewing  and  Payne's  Collection,  157 

Ewing,  John,  188 

Examiner  examined,  164 

Excellent  use  of  Psalmody,  341 

Experience  and  Example  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  159 


Faber.  F.  W.,  338,  518 

Faith  (tune),  527 

Family  Hymns  (Boyse),  87,  lOS 
(Henry),  86,  87,  89,  105 

Fanch,  James,  213 

Farr,  E.,  66 

Farrar,  F.  W.,  si7 

Faulkner.  J.  A.,  see  New  History  of  Method- 
ism, 

Fawcett,  John,  215;   (of  Carlisle),  353 

Federal  Street  (tune),  471 

Feet-washing  hymns,  367,  368,  369 

Fellows,  John,  215 

Ferris,  Isaac,  408 

Fetter  Lane  meeting,  227,  263,  318 

Fields,  Annie,  470 

Fields,  J.  T.,  468 

Findlater,  Sarah,  507.  539 

Finney,  Charles  G.,  376 

First  Church  Collection,  171 

Fischer,  William  G.,  484 

Five  mile  Act,  85 

Fleming,  D.  Hay,  35 

Flesher,  John,  277 

Fletcher,  Giles  and  Phineas,  64 

Flexman,  R.,  140 

Flint,  Abel,  168,  373 

Flint,  James,  462,  466,  468 

Floy,  J.,  290,  291,  299 

Fallen,  Eliza  L.,  468 

Foote,  H.  W.,  472 

Foote,  W.  H.,  181,  189 

Forbes,  John,  149 

Ford,  P.  L.,  162 

Form    of    Prayer    and    new    Collection  of 
Psalms,  133 

Forme  of  prayers  (1556),  27 
(1564),  32 

Foster,  F.  W.,  274 

Foundery,  229,  239;  "a  certain  foundery," 
147;  "a  celebrated  Foundery,"  331 

Foundling  Hospital,  344 

Four  Centuries  of  select  Hymns,  61 

Fowler,  J.  T.,  520 

Fox,  George,  94,  95,  96 

Fox,  George  (Hodgkin),  94 

Fox,  George,  Journal  of,  95,  96 

Fox,  William  J.,  450,  465 

Fox,  W.  J.,  Life  of  (Garnelt),  450 


Francis,  George,  146 

Francke,  G.  A.,  225 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  162,  197 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  Writings  of,  162 

Franklin,  Jonathan,  145 

Eraser,  D.,  153 

Frederica,  225 

Free  Church:  1843-1898,  536,  542 

Free  Church  Hymn  Book,  536,  542 

Free  Church  Magazine,  153 

Free  Grace  (Wesley),  232 

Free  Methodist  Hymnal,  310 

Free  Methodists,  310 

Freeman,  James,  175 

Freewill  Baptists,  366,  367 

French  Carols,  19;  Psalmody,  27,  46,  220 

Freylinghausen,  J.  A.,  225,  240 

Friendly  Debate  (Patrick),  S3 

Friends'  Hymnal,  577 

Friends,  Society  of,  94,  S77 

Frothingham,  N.  L.,  468 

Frothingham,  O.  B.,  468 

Froude,  R.  H.,  514 

Fry,  B.  St.  J.,  293,  295 

Fuguing  tunes,  170,  171.  239,  344 

Fuller  and  Jeter's  Supplement,  365 

Fuller,  Margaret,  468 

Fulneck,  the  singing  at,  273 

Funeral  Hymns  (Wesleys'),  233 

"Funeral  Thought,  A,"  183 


Gadsby,  John,  146,  147,  33i.  333 

Gadsby,  William,  146 

Gaine,  Hugh,  Journals  of,  411 

Gainsborough,  loi 

Gambold,  John,  264,  266,  273 

Gannett,  William  C,  472 

Garnett,  R.,  450 

Ganse,  Hervey  D.,  557 

Garden  of  Zion,  56 

Gascoigne,  G.,  64 

Gaskell,  W.,  139 

Gasquet  and  Bishop,  40,  41 

Gates  of  Prayer  (Macduff),  S38 

Gauntlett,  H.  J.,  521,  522,  523 

Gawthorn,  Nathaniel,  90 

Geistliche  Gedichte  (Zinzendorf),  263 

Geist-reiches  Gesang-Buch,  225,  240 

General  Baptist  Hymn  Book,  143,  452 

General  Baptists,  see  Baptists 

General  camp  meeting,  297 

General  Collection  of  Hymns  and  Spiritual 
Songs  for  camp  yneetings  (Bourne),  276 

General  History  of  Baptist  Denomination 
(Benedict),  366,  422 

Genevan  Psalmody,  22,  23,  26,  30,  46,  55 

Genevan  Psalter,  27,  28,  29,  33,  S5,  448 

Georgia,  the  Wesleys  in,  223,  225-227 

German  Baptist  Brethren,  199,  367 

German  Hymns,  v,  21,  22,  23,  31;  and  the 
Wesleys,  224,  225,  263;  Moravian, 
263,  264,  271;  Dunker,  367;  United 
Brethren,  312;  Evangel.  Assn.,  314; 
Mennonite,  368;  German  Reformed, 
409;  Lutheran,  410.  411,  416,  417,  562 

German  hymns  Englished:  Wesley,  224, 
246;  Moravian,  263,  264,  271;  Lyra 
Davidica,  346;  a  new  school  of  trans- 
lators, 507,  508;  Lutheran,  417,  560,  S62 

German  Reformed  Church: 

1800,  introduction  of  English  hymns,  409 
1836,  first  English  hymn  book,  409 
1857-1890,     Liturgical    movement     and 
party  hymn  and   service   books,  548- 

^      5SO 

Germantown,  271 

Gesang-Buch  der  Cemcine  in  Hcrrnhut, 
das,  225 

Gesangbuch  (Moravian,  1778),  270 


INDEX 


6oi 


Geschichte  des  Kirchenlieds  (Koch).  263 

Gooslly  Psalmes  and  Spirituall  Songes,  25 

Giardini,  324 

Gibbons,  Thomas,  113.  122,  124,  212 

Gibson,  Edmund,  341,  342 

Gibson,  James,  533 

Gifford,  H.,  64 

Gilkey,  D.,  300 

Gill,  John,  99.  106,  144 

Gill,  Thomas  H.,  457.  579 

Gillies,  John,  3S9 

Oilman,  A.,  553 

Oilman,  Caroline,  468 

Oilman,  S..  468 

Oilman,  W.  S.,  553 

Giordan],  325 

Gladden.  Washington,  580,  582 

Glas.  John,  326 

Glasgow:  Cathedral,  535;  Congregational- 
ism, 157;  Trinity,  579;  Presbytery,  150 

Glass'  History  of  Independent  Church  at 
Rothwell,  104 

Glassites,  156,  326 

Glezen,  E.  K.,  557 

Gloria  in  Excelsis,  80,  531 

Gloria  in  Excelsis  (Williams),  324 

Gloria  Palri  (Wesley),  233 

Gloucester.  Mass..  164;  ist  parish,  421; 
Universalism.  421;  crank  organ.  421 

Goadby,  J.  J.,  93.  94.  98 

Golden  Chain  of  Praise,  457 

Golden  Grove,  68 

Golden  Hymn  Book,  577 

Good  Friday  Hymn,  76 

Good,  J.  H.,  420 

Goodwin,  Thomas,  103 

Gospel  Canticles,  153 

Gospel  Hymn,  the:  origin  and  develop- 
ment, 482-492;  301,  307.  430.  559 

Gospel  Hymns:  Nos.  2-6,  487 

Gospel  Hymns  and  sacred  Songs,  486.  488. 
490,  491.  492 

Gospel  Magazine,  215,  331,  334.  335.  337.  5iS 

Gospel  Musick  (Homes),  104  ' 

Gospel  Psalmist  (Adams),  481 

Gospel  Songs  (Bliss),  486 

Gospel  Sonnets,  153 

Goss,  Sir  John,  508,  521 

Gough,  B.,  255 

Graces  before  meat,  27.  29 

Graces  before  meat,  233 

Granade,  J.  A.,  295 

Grand  Debate,  82 

Grant,  James,  454 

Grant,  Sir  Robert.  436 

Grantham,  Thomas,  92,  93 

Oravener,  B.,  89 

Graves,  Abraham.  203 

Gray.  J.,  355,  356 

Gray,  Thomas,  jr.,  468 

Great  Awakening  and  Church  Song:  Con- 
gregationalist,  161.  163,  358;  Presby- 
terian, 179,  358;  Church  of  England, 
358;  Baptist,  198,  358,  362 

Great  Revival  Hymns  No.  2,  492 

Greatorex.  Henry  W..  388.  479 

Greek  hymns,  viii.  505,  506 

Green,  J.  R.,  256 

Green,  R.,  226.  229,  230.  236.  237.  281.  282 

Greenwood.  F.  W.  P..  461.  463 

Gregor,  C,  270 

Gregorian  Melody,  39.  503.  504.  521.  569 

Gregory.  A.  E..  226,  230,  246.  252 

Grenfield,  T..  436 

Grey.  John.  521 

Orindal,  Edmund,  31 

Crigg,  Joseph,  216 

Grimshaw,  W..  329 

Grosart.  A.  B.,  66 

Groser,  W.,  146 


Grounds  of  Nonconformity,  83 

Grounds  of  vocal  Music  (Wesley),  242 

Grounds  and  rules  of  Music,  161 

Grove.  Henry.  140 

Grove's  Dictionary  of  Music,  75 

Guardian,  the,  116,  509 

Gude  and  godlie  Ballatis,  26.  33 

Guild,  R.  A.,  196 

Gurney,  A.  T.,  Si7 

Gurney.  John  H..  516 

H 

Hackensack.  411 

Hale.  E.  E..  423,  464 

Hale,  Mary  W.,  468 

Halelviah  (Wither).  65 

Hall,  C.  C,  490,  556 

Hall,  Louisa  G.,  468 

Hall,  Robert,  215 

Hall,  W.  J.,  500 

Hallelujah  (Waite),  522 

Hallowed  Songs,  301,  486 

Hamilton,  James,  526,  527 

Hamilton,  James,  Life  of  (Amot),  526 

Hammond,  William,  273.  3i7 

Handel,  240.  324 

Hanbury,  R.,  loi,  102 

Hankey,  Katherine,  487 

Hanover  Presbytery,  181,  182,  189 

Harcourt.  Archbishop.  355.  356 

Hardy,  John,  431 

Harland,  E.,  517 

Harland,  W.,  277 

Harmonia  Coelestis,  373 

Harmonia  perfecta,  90 

Harmonia  sacra,  240 

Harp,  the,  430 

Harper,  Edward,  510 

Harrington,  Sir  John,  47 

Harris,  George,  557 

Harris.  Thoro,  310 

Harris,  William,  89 

Harrisburg:  German  Ref.  Church,  369.  409 

Harrod,  J.  J.,  295,  308 

Harrow  School,  445 

Hart.  Andro,  34 

Hart.  Joseph,  v,   146.  212,  335 

Hart,  Luther,  373 

Hartford,  373.  374 

Hartford  Selection,  167,  373,  374.  375 

Hartford  Seminary  Record,  457.  581 

Harvard:     Hymn     Book.      133;     Divinity 

School,  175.  463.  472 
Harvest  Hymn  (Alford),  518 
Hastings,  Lady  Margaret,  318 
Hastings,    Thomas,    377.    378.    379.    407. 

408,  479 
Hatfield,  E.  F.,  366,  553 
Hathaway,  W.,  481 

Havergal,  F.ranccs  R.,  Si3.  5 18,  5i9.  S20 
Havergal.  W.  H.,  513.  520 
Havergal' s  Psalmody  and  Century  of  Chants, 

513 
Haweis,  T..  323,  32S 
Hawker.  R.  S..  Si7 
"Hawkeye,"  483 
Hawks,  Annie  S.,  487 
Heart  and  Voice,  300 
Heart  Melodies,  485 
Heathcote,  W.  B.,  516 
Hcathlands,  527 
Heber,    Reginald,    68,    417.    436,    437-439. 

442,  443,  445,  453,  458,  498 
Hcber,  Rcninald,  Life  of,  438,  439 
Hebrew  Melodies  (Byron),  435,  436 
Hedge,  F.  H.,  465.  468 
Heidelberg  Catechism,  404,  408 
Helmore,  Thomas.  20.  503.  521 
Helmsley,  330 
Hemans,  Mrs..  436 


6o2 


INDEX 


Henkel,  Ambrose,  41s 

Heiikel,  Paul,  415 

Henry  VIII,  25,  38,  44 

Henry,  Matthew,  86,  105 

Henry,  Matthew,  Memoirs  of,  86 

Henshaw,  J.  P.  K.,  398,  401 

Hensley,  Lewis,  517 

Heralds  of  a  Liberal  Faith,  17s 

Herbert,   George,   66,   67,   79,   87,   88,   105, 

206.  224,  229,  252 
Hernaman,  Claudia  F.,  514,  518 
Herrick,  Robert,  66,  206 
Hermhut,  228,  2S5.  263 
Hewett,  J.  W.,  517 
Heyl,  L.,  420 
Heywood,  W.  S.,  165 
Hickes,  G.,  224 
Hickok,  M.  J.,  386 
Higginson,  T.  W.,  468 
Higham,  Charles,  106,  344,  346 
Hildebert,  543 
Hildeburn's   Issues   of  Pennsylvania   Press, 

i8s,  199,  271,  359 
Hill,  Rowland,  327,  328 
Hill,  Rowland,  Memoir  of,  328 
Hill,  Thomas,  468 
Hilsey,  Bishop,  38 
Himes,  J.  V.,  429,  430 
Hinde,  T.  S.,  295 
Hindmarsh,  R.,  426 
Hinton,  J.  H.,  14s 
Hirten  Lieder,  271 
Historic   Manual   of  the   Reformed   Church 

(Dubbs),  409 
Historic  proof  of  the  Calvinism  of  the  Church 

of  England  (Toplady),  333 
Historical   Memorials  relating  to   the   Inde- 
pendents (Hanbury),  loi,  102 
Historical  Sketch  of  Old  Pine  Street  Church, 

191 
History      and      Antiquities      of     dissenting 

Churches  (Wilson),  89,  123,  126 
History  of  the  American  Episcopal  Church 

(Perry),  397 
(McConnell),  396,  400 
History  of  American  Music  (Elson),  170 
History  of  Baptist  Churches  in  the  United 

States  (Newman),  196 
History  of  Brown  University  (Guild),  196 
History   of  the   Church    Known   as    Unitas 

Fratrum  (de  Schwcinitz),  21- 
History  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren 

(Spayth),  312 
History    of    the    Cumberland    Presbyterian 

Church  (McDonnold),  297,  298,  556 
History  of  England  (Tindal) :   Rapin's  con- 
tinuation, 315 
History  of  English  Baptists  (Crosby),  97,  99 

(Ivimey),  99 
History  of  English  Congregationalism  (Dale), 

106,  122 
History  of  English  Poetry  (Warton),  55 

(Courthope),  25,  115,  253 
H istory  of  English  Prosody  (Saintsbury),  115 
History  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church 

in    the    United    States    (Jacobs),    410, 

411,  412,  413.  419 
History  of  the  Evangelical  Party  (Balleine), 

329,  344.  350,  S19 
History  of  First  Baptist  Church  of  Boston 

(Wood),  196,  197,  198 
History    of    First    Presbyterian    Church    of 

Carlisle,  191 
History  of  the  Free  Churches  (Skeats),  130 
History  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

in    the    United    States  (Stevens),    282, 

284,  294,  29s,  296,  298 
History  of  the  Moravian  Church  in  Phila- 
delphia (Ritter),  271,  273 
History  of  Music  in  New  Ensland{Hood),  162 


History  of  Presbyterian  and  General  Bap- 
tist Churches  (Murch),  89 
History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Ken- 
tucky (Davidson),  190,  291,  292,  296 

History  of  Presbyterians  in  England  (Drys- 
dale),  8s,  130 

History  of  the  Primitive  Methodists  (Bourne), 
276 

History  of  the  Puritans  (Neal),  103 

History  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  Phila- 
delphia (Van  Home),  410 

History  of  Religious  Denominations  (Rupp), 
30s,  306 

History  of  the  Revision  of  the  Discipline 
(Sherman),  284 

History  of  the  Rise  of  Methodism  in  America 
(Lednum),  281 

Hitchcock,  R.  D.,  553 

Hitt,  Daniel,  289 

Hodge,  George  S.,  517 

Hodgkin,  Thomas,  94 

Hodnet,  437 

Hogarth,  G.,  306 

Holbrook,  J.  P.,  479 

Holden,  Oliver,  170 

Hole,  Dean,  517 

Holland  and  Everett's  Memoirs  of  Mont- 
gomery, 271 

Holland,  J.  G.,  568 

PloUand,  Canon  Scott,  569,  571 

HoUingside,  521,  553 

Hollis,  Brand,  86 

Holme,  Thomas  and  Elizabeth,  95 

Holmes,  O.  W.,  365,  468,  469,  470 

Holy  Club,  222,  223,  264 

Holy  Songs  (Boyd),  57 

Holy  Year  (Wordsworth),  516 

Holy  days  of  the  Church  (Mant),  514 

Holyoke,  Samuel,  172,  204 

Home  and  School  Hymnal,  537 

"Home,  sweet  Home,"  310 

Homes,  Nathaniel,  104 

Homiletic  use  of  Hymnody  (as  sermon- 
illustrations):  127,  143.  208,  209,  337, 
352,  364,  387,  476,  480,  5s8,  572 

Hood,  E.  P.,  IIS 

Hood,  George,  162 

Hooke,  W.,  103 

Hooker,  Horace,  389 

Ilopedale  Collection,  425 

Hopkins,  E.  J.,  423,  459,  S37 

Hopkinson,  Francis,  170,  184,  393,  394,  402 

Hopkinson,  Francis,  and  Lyon,  James,  170, 
184,  i8s,  192 

Horae,  38 

Horae  Germanicae,  417 

Horae  Lyricae,  114 

Horbury,  521,  SS3 

Horder,  W.  Garrett,  125,  126,  205,  439, 
457.  579.  580 

Horn,  E.  T.,  416 

Home,  W.  W.,  145 

Horrible  Decree,  232 

Ilosanna,  the,  564 

Hosannah  to  the  Son  of  David,  324 

Hoskins,  E.,  38 

Hosmer,  Frederick  L.,  472,  578 

Hoss,  Elijah  E.,  312 

Houghton,  P.,  140 

Hours,  the,  40,  44 

Housman,  Henry,  250,  447,  517 

Housman,  Laurence,  569 

Hovey,  H.  C,  180 

How,  W.  Walsham,  516 

Howard,  Dr.,  174 

Howe,  M.  A.  DeW.,  545 

Howse,  H.  E.  jr.,  13s 

Hubberthorne,  R.,  95 

Huddersfield,  330 

Huguenot  Psalmody,  27,  46,  220 


INDEX 


603 


Hull,  Asa,  484 
HuUah,  John,  446,  522 
Humanitarianism  m  hymns,  582,  588 
Humble  Attempt  toward  the  Improvement  of 

Psalmody,  181 
Humble  suit,  29,  30,  34.  77 
Hunnis.  William,  64 
Hunter,  John,  460,  579 
Hunter,  William,  311 
Huntingdon.   Countess  of,   232,   316,   318, 

319-325.  329 
Huntingdon,   Countess  of.   Life  and   Times 

of.  316,  318,  320,  322,  325 
Huntington,  F.  D.,  465,  467,  468,  544 
Hum,  W.,  353 
Hursley,  553 

Hurst  Library  Catalogue,  282 
Hus,  John,  and  Hussites,  21,  2$,  24 
Hutchison,  Patrick,  155 
Hutchins,  Charles  L.,  546,  547 
Hutton,  Hugh,  140 
Hutton,  James,  227,  263,  266,  273 
Hutton,  James,  Memoir  of,  263,  269 
Hymn,  the   (Definition):  as  Church  Song, 
viii,  ix,  19,  22,  588 

as  distinguished  from  the  metrical 
psalm,  ix,  22,  23,  24,  37,  42,  45-63. 
112,  217 

as  distinguished  from  devotional  po- 
etry, 63-72,  442,  455 

as  liturgical  verse,  viii,  19,  517 

as  the  poetry  of  pure  devotion,  449 

as  praise  in  song,  370,  588,  589,  590 

as  a  religious  lyric,  viii,  19,  253,  568 

as  a  religious  ode,  64 
(Type):  advent,  429,  43i 

amatory,  267,  268 

antiphonal,  273.  3i7.  3i9 

anti-slavery,  367 

autobiographical,  249,  250,  339 

baptismal,  87,  100,  198,   199,  362,  400 

camp  meeting,  276,  293,  483 

catechetical,  404 

charity,  344 

child's,  121,  238,  273 

churchly,  252 

communion,  see  Communion 

controversial,  232,  233 

devotional,  449,  469 

in  dialogue,  317,  3i9 

didactic,  67,  212,  387 

doctrinal,  209,  387 

ejaculatory,  292 

of  experience,  208,  248-250,  339,  518 

evangelical,  52,  109,  no,  208,  336, 
339.  498,  575 

evangelistic,  247,  483.  520,  567 

for  feet-washing,  367.  368,  369 

fervid,  214,  249,  256 

festival,  251 

fleshly-spiritual,  266 

gospel,   301.   307,   430,   483.   484.   485. 

487,  488,  489.  490,  491,  559 

humanitarian,  582,  588 

"I"  and  "we,"  516 

inspirational,  95.  427.  43 1 

introspective,  214,  339 

of  the  kingdom,  581,  584,  58s 

litany,  517 

literary,  252,437, 440,  445,  458,  469,  569 

liturgical,  251,  252,  498,  511,  517 

of  the  Mass,  514 

military,  293 

missionary,  324,  353,  375 

Moravian.  265.  268 

morbid.  265-267,  339 

patriotic,  112,  166,  169 

plaintive,  214,  519 

poetic,  252,  437.  440,  442.  448,  449, 
4S8.  459 


polemical,  209,  232,  294,  323,  33s 
prose,  viii 

revival:  see  Revival 
Romantic,  442 

sacramental,  251,  498,  511.  S14.  573 
saint's  day,  499,  Sio,  511.  S68 
Scriptural,  in,  441 
sectarian,  432 
social,  582,  586 
translated,  37,  246 
Wattsian,  115,  207,  216,  252,  440 
Wesleyan.  252.  440 
"Hymn"  in  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  vii 
"Hymn  after  sermon,"  the    144 
Hymn    and    Prayer    Book     (Kunze),    411, 

412,  413 
Hymn  and  Tune  Book  (Unitarian),  578 
Hymn    and    Tune    Book   for    Church    and 

Home,  471 
Hymn  and  Tune  Book  of  M.  E.  Church,  303 
Hymn  before  Sunrise,  435 
Hymn  Book  (Read),  128,  453 
Hymn   Book  for   Christian    Worship    (Rob- 
bins),  465 
Hymn   Book  for   the    children    (Moravian), 

271 
Hymn  Book  for  use  of  churches  and  chapels, 

SOI 
Hymn  Book  of  African  M.  E.  Church,  306 
Hymn  Book  of  Evangelical  Association,  314 
Hymn  Book  of  the  modern  Church  (Gregory), 

226,  230,  246,  252 
Hymn  Book  of  Methodist  Protestant  Church, 

308 
Hymn  Book  of  United  Presbyterian  Church, 

155.  531 
Hymn,  the  Congregational,  as  the  badge 

of  Protestantism,  20,  21 
Hymn  Form,  the,  22,  24,  207 
Hymn  Lover,  the.  126,  205,  457 
Hymn  of  Hildeberl  and  Ode  of  Xavier,  543 
Hymn  of  human  composure,  the,  2:i 
Hymn  of  Rebecca.  435 
Hymn  on  the  Nativity  of  my  Saviour,  64 
Hymn  on  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  552 
Hymn  Studies  (Nutter),  302 
Hymn  Tinkering: 
question  of,   138 
Wesley  on,  247 
by    Unitarians,     136,    138,     141,    450, 

460,  461,  467 
Evangelicals,  139 
Whitefield,  247,  319 
Toplady,  247 
Flesher,  277 
Cotterill,  356 
Martineau,  450 
Scotch  Presby.,  532,  533,  534 
Hymn  Tracts,  232 

Hymn,  Tune  and  Service  Book  for  S.  S.,  471 
Hymn  Tunes  and  their  story  (Lightwood), 

240.  241 
Hymn  Tunes  sung  in  Church  of  the  United 

Brethren,  270 
Hymn  Tunes  used  in  Church  of  the  United 

Brethren,  272 
Hymn  upon  St.  Bartholomew's  Day,  66 
Hymnal,  the  (hymn  book): 

(anglo)  Catholic,  501,  504.  5ii.  S13-514 
commercialized,  480,  490,  551,  55s 
as    "companion    to    the    Prayer    Book": 
Wither,  65,   251;  Ken,  69,   251;  Wes- 
ley, 251;  Heber,  251,  438,  444;  Woodd, 
351. 
as  companion  to  Lutheran  Liturgy,  415 
evangelistic,  374 
first  English,  25 
individual  (unauthorized),  578 
literary:  see  Poetic 
as  manual  of  doctrine,  370,  387 


6o4 


INDEX 


as   manual   of   sermon   illustrations:    see 

Homiletic  Use 
as  manual  of  social  service,  585-587,  589 
as   manual    of   spiritual    discipline,    249, 

338 
as  manual  of  worship,  571-574 
party,  446 
poetic.    438,    439.    448,    449,    45i,    458, 

568,  569 
public  school,  445 

as  reflecting  faith,  feeling  and  life,  vi,  576 
as  reflecting  the  poetry  of  the  time,  435 
Romantic,  438,  439 
"Social,"  294,  299.  300 
Sunday  school,  484 
with  the  tunes,  21,  22,  477,  508 
Hymnal  (Grey),  521 
(Hullah),  446 

(Prot.    Episc.)    1872,    546,    552,   561:   re- 
vised and  enlarged  i8g2,  547 
Hymnal  adapted  to  African  M.  E.  Church, 

307 
Hymnal:  amore  Dei,  472 
Hymnal   Companion   to   the   Book   of  Com- 
mon Prayer  (Bickersteth),  448,  511,  Sip 
(Refd.  Episc).  548 
Hymnal  for  Jubilee  Convention,  490 
Hymnal  for  use  in  English  Church,  509 
Hymnal  noted,  502,  503-4.  5o6 
Hymnal  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 

302,  310 
Hymnal  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  U.  S.,  550 
Hymnal   of   the    Presbyterian    Church    (old 

school),  551 
Hymnal  of  United  Evangelical  Church,  314 
Hymnal  published  by  authority  of  General 
Assembly  (1895:   Presby'n),  490,   555; 
revised  in  iqii,  584 
Hymnary,  514,  556 

Hymnary  discussions  in  the  General  Assem- 
bly, 539,  540 
Hymner,  570 
Hymnes  and  Songs  of  the  Church  (Wither), 

31.  65,  67 
Hymni  ecclesiae  (Newman),  495 
Hymni  sacri  (Casander),  496 
"Hymnody"      as     distinct      from     "Hym- 

nology."  24 
Hymnody,      denominational:      see      under 

names  of  the  various  denominations 
"Hymnody       of       the       English-speaking 

Churches,"  vii,  ix 
Hymnody   of   the   liberal   faith,    132,    174, 

449.  460,  469.  473.  481,  579 
as  divorced  from  Scripture,  450 

as  divorced  from  doctrine,  136,  449,  454, 

579.  587 
as  divorced  from  historical  Christianity, 

450,  466,  578 

as  divorced  from  the  Church,  585,  587 
Hymnology:  as  the  ordered  knowledge  of 
hymns,  25 
backwardness  of  English,  vi 
Early  hymnologists:  see  Bird,   Creamer, 
Hatfield,    Neale,  Park,    Schafif,    Sedg- 
wick 
first  American  treatise  on,  475 
preparation  of  Julian's  Dictionary  of,  vii 
Hymns  (Historical):  Early  English,  19 

admitted  into  Lutheran,   barred  from 

Reformed  worship,  22-24 
English,  largely  postponed  till  xviiith 

century,  21 
Coverdale's   attempt   at    English,    25; 

the  Wedderburns',  26 
in  the  old  English  Psalter,   26 
in  the  Scottish  Psalter,  32 
attempt  to  translate  Latin,  37 
evolving  from  metrical  psalms,  45 
evolving  from  devotional  poetry,  63 


Restoration  movement  toward,  73; 
Church  of  England,  75;  Presby- 
terian, 82;  Baptist,  97;  Independent, 

lOI 

Watts'  movement  for,  chaps,  iii,  iv, 

Methodist  movement  for,  chaps,  v,  vi 

Evangelical  movement  for,  315 

within  covers  of  Prayer  Book,  349 

prohibited  in  Church  of  England,  354 

allowed  in  Church  of  England,  356 

use  of  in  American  Churches,  chaps. 
iv,  vi,  viii 

in  present  day  use,  chap,  xi 
(groupings):  Breviary:  see  ofSce  Hymns 

German:  see  German 

Greek,  viii,  505,  508 

ignorance  of,  vi,  260,  299.  333.  374.  375 

Latin:  see  Latin 

Missal,  70,  501,  502 

New  Version:  see  N.  V. 

Objections  made  to  in  Church  of  Eng- 
land, 354 

Office:  see  office 

Old  Version:  see  O.  V. 

Prayer  Book:  why  absent,  40,  41 

Prejudice  against,  v 

Primer:  see  Primer 
Hymns:    their   relation   to   Literature:   see 

Literature 
Hymns:  indexed  under  the  first  line: 
A  debtor  to  mercy  alone,  334 
A  little  child  the  Saviour  came,  537 
A  few  more  years  shall  roll,  538 
Abide  with  me:  fast   falls   the  eventide, 

444.  54^).  552 
Adieu  to  the  city  where  long  I  have  wan- 
dered, 432 
Ah!  lovely  appearance  of  death,  183 
Alas,  and  did  my  Saviour  bleed,  117 
All  glory  be  to  (jod  on  high,  77 
All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  Name,  374 
All  my  belief,  and  confidence,  29 
All  Praise  to  Thee  my  God  this  Night, 

206,  347 
All  ye,  who  faithful  Servants  are,  80 
Almighty  God,  Thy  word  is  cast,  353 
Almost  persuaded  now  to  believe,  487 
Angel-voices,  ever  singing,  518 
Angels  from  the  realms  of  glory,  441 
Angels,  roll  the  rock  away,  374 
Another  six  days'  work  is  done,  100 
As  pants  the  Hart  for  cooling  Streams, 

49. 
As  with  gladness  men  of  old,  516 
At  even,  'ere  the  sun  was  set,  516 
At  the  Name  of  Jesus,  517 
Attend  my  people  and  geue  eare,  29,  34 
Awake  and  sing  the  song,  317 
Awake,  my  Soul,  and  with  the  Sun,  206, 

347 
Behold  now  geue  heede  suche  as  be,  29 
Behold  the  Saviour  of  mankind,  221 
Behold  the  Sun  that  seemed  but  now,  66 
Behold  we  come  dear  Lord  to  thee,  77 
Beyond  the  glittering  starry  skies,  213 
Bless'd  morning  whose  young,  152 
Blessed  are  the  sons  of  God,  317 
Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds,  427 
Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow,  241,  334,  374 
Bread  of  Heaven,  on  Thee  I  feed,  453 
Brethren,  let  us  join  to  bless,  317 
Brief  life  is  here  our  portion,  552 
Brightest  and  best  of  the  sons,  406 
Brightly  gleams  our  Father's  mercy,  487 
By  Christ  redeemed,  in  Christ  restored, 

452 
By  Jesus'  grave,  on  either  hand,  517 
By  the  rivers  of  Watertown,  169 
Camp  meetings  with  success  are  crowned, 

276 


INDEX 


60:; 


Hymns:  Indexed  under  the  first  line  (con- 
tinued): 
Captain  of  thy  enhsted  host,  326 
Cast  thy  burden  on  the  Lord,  32S 
Children  of  the  heav'nly  Kiny,  317 
Christ  from  the  Dead  is  rais'd,  and  made, 

80.  347 
Christ  he  sits  on  Zion's  hill,  276 
Christ  in  his  word  draws  near,  456 
Christ  is  coming!  let  creation,  538 
Christ  is  risen;  Christ  is  risen,  517 
Christ — of  all  my  hopes  the  ground,  157 
Christ  the  Lord  is  ris'n  to  Day,  230 
Christ  to  the  young  man  said,  466 
Christ,  whose  glory  fills  the  skies,  232,  333 
Christian,  seek  not  yet  repose,  Si9 
Come,  Holy  Ghost,  Creator,  come,  347 
Come,  Holy  Ghost  eternal  God,  28 
Come,  Holy  Ghost,  in  love,  476 
Come  holie  Spirit  the  God  of  might,  29 
Come,  Holy  Spirit,  Heavenly  Dove,  116 
Come,  let  us  to  the  Lord  our  God,  151 
Come,  love  Divine!  thy  power  impart,  344 
Come,  my  soul,  thy  suit  prepare,  339 
Come,  O  come,  with  pious  lays,  66 
Come  we  that  love  the  Lord,  116 
Come,  ye  thankful  people,  come,  518 
Courage,  brother!  do  not  stumble,  537 
Dear  Lord  and  Master  mine,  457 
Dear    Saviour,    if    these    lambs    should 

stray,  376 
Deathless  principle,  arise,  255 
Dies  irae,  dies  ilia,  67,  34s,  43S.  S3i 
Dismiss  me  not  Thy  service.  Lord,  456 
Draw  nigh  to  Thy  Jerusalem,  O  Lord,  68 
Drop,  drop,  slow  tears,  64 
Earth  with  its  dark  and  dreadful  ills,  482 
E'er  I  sleep  for  every  favor,  317 
Enlisted  in  the  cause  of  sin,  294 
Enthron'd  on  high,  almighty  Lord.  324 
Eternal  Father,  strong  to  save,  516 
Eternal  Power!  whose  high  abode,  115 
Eternal  Ruler  of  the  ceaseless  round,  472 
Father,  how  wide  Thy  Glory  shines,  115 
Father,  I  want  a  thankful  heart,  333 
Father,     in     Thy     mysterious     presence 

kneeling,  467 
Father,  whate'er  of  earthly  bliss,  159 
Felowe  of  thy  fathers  lyght,  42 
Few  are  thy  days  and  full  of  woe,  151 
Fierce  raged  the  tempest  o'er  the  deep, 

S17 
Fight  the  good  fight  with  all  thy  might, 

S17 
For  ever  with  the  Lord,  441 
From  Greenland's  icy  mountains,  375,  406 
From  ocean  unto  ocean,  543 
From  the  cross  uplifted  high,  324 
From  the  eastern  mountains,  447 
Full  of  mercy,  full  of  love,  68 
Gently,  Lord,  O  gently  lead  us,  379 
Gieb  Fried  zu  unser  Zeit,  O  Herr,  31 
Giue  peace  in  these  our  dales  O  Lord,  29 
Glorious  things  of  thee  are  spoken,  339 
Glory  to  God  on  high,  326 
Glory  to  Thee,  O  Lord,  516 
Go  to  dark  Gethsemane,  441 
God  is  working  His  purpose  out,  569 
God   moves   in   a   mysterious  way,   337, 

339.  432 
God  of  our  fathers,  known  of  old,  569 
God  spake  these  words,  347 
God,  to  Thee  we  humbly  bow,  309 
God's    trumpet    wakes    the    sliunbering 

world,  442 
Golden  harps  are  sounding,  519 
Gracious  Spirit,  dwell  with  me,  456 
Granted  is  the  Saviour's  prayer,  230 
Great  Creator,  who  this  day,  S19 
Great  God  of  Wonders!  all  Thy  Ways,  212 


Hymns:  Indexed  under  the  first  line  (con- 
tinued) : 
Guide  me,  O  Thou  Great  Jehovah,  324, 

374.  406 
Hail  the  Day  that  sees  Him  rise,  230 
Hail!  Thou  once-despised  Jesus,  254 
Hail    to   the    brightness    of    Zion's    glad 

morning,  379 
Hail  to  the  Lord's  Anointed,  441 
Hark  how  all  the  Welkin  rings   (Hark! 

the  herald  angels  sing),  230,  260,  347 
Hark  Israel,  and  what  I  say,  29 
Hark,  my  gay  friend,   that  solemn  toll, 

394.  395 
Hark!  my  soul,  it  is  the  Lord,  339 
Hark!  what  mean  those  holy  voices,  353 
Have  Mercy,  Lord,  on  me,  49 
He  leadeth  me  I    He  leadeth  me!  484 
Heaven  is  here:  its  hymns  of  gladness, 

482 
Here,  O  my  Lord,  I  see  Thee  face  to  face, 

538 
He's  free,  he's  free,  the  Prophet's  free,  433 
High  let  us  swell  ovir  tuneful  notes,  347 
Ho!  my  comrades,  see  the  signal,  487,  491 
Holy  Ghost,  dispel  our  sadness,  334 
Holy!  Holy!  Holy!    Lord  God  Almighty, 

442,  458,  531 
Hosanna  we  sing,  like  the  children,  517 
How  calm  and  beautiful  the  mom,  379 
How  happy  are  we,  323,  334 
How  shall  I  follow  Him  I  serve,  453 
How  sweet  the  name  of  Jesus  sounds, 

339 
Hushed  was  the  evening  hymn,  538 
I  am  coming  to  the  cross,  311 
I  asked  the  Lord  that  I  might  grow,  337 
I  gave  My  life  for  thee,  519 
I  hear  Thy  welcome  voice,  491 
I  heard  the  voice  of  Jesus  say,  538 
I  love  Thy  Kingdom,  Lord,  167 
I  love  to  steal  awhile  away,  376 
I  love  to  tell  the  story,  484,  487 
I  need  Thee  every  hour,  487 
I  sing  the  birth  was  bom  to-night,  64 
I  would  not  live  alway,  400,  406 
In  token  that  thou  shalt  not  fear,  518 
In  thy  mountain  retreat,  433 
Into  the  woods  my  Master  went,  568 
It  is  not  death  to  die,  407 
Jerusalem  the  golden,  503,  546,  552 
Jesu[s],  Lover  of  my  Soul,  231,  232,  237, 

250,  268,  334,  374,  406,  419.  467 
Jesu,  meek  and  lowly,  515 
Jesu,  my  Lord,  my  God,  my  All,  515 
Jesus  came,  the  heavens  adoring,  447 
Jesus,  cast  a  look  on  me,  331 
Jesus  Christ  is  ris'n  to-day.  346,  347 
Jesus,  my  All,  to  Heav'n  is  gone,  317 
Jesus,  still  lead  on,  273 
Jesus,  these  eyes  have  never  seen,  476 
Jesus,  Thou  Joy  of  loving  hearts,  476 
Jesus,  Thy  blood  and  righteousness,  273 
Joyfully,  joyfully  onward  I  move,  311 
Judge  Eternal,  throned  in  splendor,  569 
Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea,  519 
Laborers  of  Christ,  arise,  363 
Lead,  kindly  Light,  amid  the  encircling 

gloom,  464,  S17,  520 
Let  party  names  no  more,  427 
Let  tyrants  shake  their  iron  rod,  169 
Lift  up  to  God  the  voice  of  praise,  157 
Lift  your  glad  voices  in  triumph,  468 
Light  in  the  darkness,  sailor,  487 
Light  of  the  lonely  pilgrini's  heart,  507 
Like  Noah's  weary  dove,  400 
Lo!  He  comes,  with  clouds  descending, 

159 
Lord,  as  to  Thy  dear  cross  we  fiee,  516 
Lord,  come  away,  why  dost  Thou  stay,  68 


6o6 


INDEX 


Hymns:  Indexed  under  the  first  line  (con- 
tinued) : 
Lord,  I  am  Thine,  entirely  Thine,  212 
Lord,  I  hear  of  showers  of  blessing,  484 
Lord  of  all  being,  throned  afar,  460 
Lord,  speak  to  me,  that  I  may  speak,  519 
Lord,  we  come  before  Thee  now,  317 
Lord,  when  we  bend  before  Thy  throne, 

353 
Lord,  when  Thy  kingdom  comes,  517 
Lord,  with  glowing  heart  I'd  praise  Thee, 

400 
Love  divine,  all  loves  excelling,  419 
My  country,  'tis  of  thee,  365 
My  faith  looks  up  to  Thee,  379 
My  God  and  Father,  while  I  stay,  519 
My  God,  and  is  Thy  table  spread,  347 
My  Life's  a  Shade,  my  daies,  69 
My  Lord,  my  Love,  was  crucified,  71,  206 
My  Song  is  love  unknown,  69 
My  soul,  there  is  a  countrie,  67 
My  soule  doth  magnifye  the  Lord,  28 
My  whole,  though  broken  heart,  O  Lord, 

70 
Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee,  450,  463 
Never  weather-beaten  sail  more  willing,  65 
New  every  morning  is  the  love,  493 
Now  from  the  altar  of  my  heart,  71 
Now  [Lord]  it  belongs  not  to  my  care,  70 
Now  may  the  Spirit's  holy  Fire,  317 
Now  that  the  Day-star  doth  arise,  77 
Now  the  day  is  over,  516 
Now  to  the  Lord  a  noble  song,  117 
O  all  ye  works  of  God  the  Lord,  28 
O  Bread  to  pilgrims  given,  476 
O   Brightness  of  the   immortal   Father's 

face,  529 
O  Christ,  our  King,  Creator,  Lord,  476 
O  Christ,  what  burdens  bowed  thy  head, 

539 
O  come  and  let  vs  now  reioyce,  29 
Oh,  could  I  find  from  day  to  day,  200 
O  day  of  rest  and  gladness,  516 
O  day  to  sweet  religious  thought,  482 
Oh,  for  a  closer  walk  with  God,  155,  332, 

339 
O  for  a  thousand  tongues,  232,  241 
O  for  the  happy  hour,  407 
O  God,  beneath  Thy  guiding  hand,  389 
O  God  of  earth  and  altar,  569 
O  God  of  Hosts,  the  mighty  Lord,  49 
O  happy  saints,  who  dwell  in  light,  331 
O  holy,  holy,  holy  Lord,  400 
O  Jesu,  I  have  promised,  517 
O  Lamb  of  God,  still  keep  me,  507 
O  Light  whose  beams  illumine  all,  516 
O  little  town  of  Bethlehem,  568 
O  Lord  and  will  Thy  pardoning  love,  370 
O  Lord  be  cause  m^y  harts  desire,  28 
O  Lord,  how  happy  should  we  be,  515 
O  Lord  in  thee  is  all  my  trust,  29,  33,  34,  77 
O  Lord,  my  Saviour  and  Support,  76 
O  Lorde  of  [on]  whom  I  do  depend,  29,  34 
O  Lord  turn  not  away  thy  face,  29,  34,  81, 

347 
O  Love  Divine  that  stooped,  469 
O  Love  that  wilt  not  let  me  go,  538,  588 
O  mean  may  seem  this  house  of  clay,  457 
O  perfect  Love,  all  human  thought  tran- 
scending, 517 
O  quickly  come,  dread  Judge  of  all,  516 
O  Saints,  have  ye  seen,  433 
O  send  me  down  a  draft  of  love,  I  S3 
O  think  of  the  home  over  there,  484 
O  Thou,  from  whom  all  goodness  flows, 

324 
O  Thou,  to  whose  all-searching  sight,  273 
O  Thou,  uncaused,  unseen,  immense,  454 
O  when  my  righteous  Judge  shall  come, 

321 


Hymns:  Indexed  under  the  first  line  (con- 
tinued) : 
O  where  is  He  that  trod  the  sea,  456 
One  God  there  is,  and  one  alone,  62 
One  sweetly  solemn  thought,  482 
Onward,  Christian  soldiers.  516 
Our  blest  Redeemer,  ere  He  breathed,  444 
Our  father  which  in  heaven  art,  29 
Our  God,  our  God,   Thou  shinest  here, 

457^ 
Our  God,  our  Help  in  ages  past,  v 
Peace,  perfect  peace,  519 
Praise  the  Lord!  ye  heavens  adore  Him, 
^345  ^    , 

Praise  to  our  God  proclaim,  76 
Prayer  is  the  soul's  sincere  desire,  441 
Prayse  the  Lord  O  ye  Gentiles  all,  29 
Preserue  vs  Lord  by  thy  deare  word,  29 
Reform,  and  be  immersed,  370 
Rescue  the  perishing,  487 
Return,  O  wand'rer,  to  thy  home,  379 
Rise,  my  Soul,  and  stretch  thy  Wings, 

317 
Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me,  334,  335,  406, 

419,  465 
Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus,  487,  491 
Salve  festa  dies,  39 
Saviour,    again    to    Thy    dear   name    we 

raise,  si 6,  S52 
Saviour,  blessed  Saviour,  447,  517 
Saviour,  who  Thy  flock  art  feeding,  400 
See,  sinful  soul,   thy  Saviour's  suffering 

see,  76 
Shall  we  gather  at  the  river,  484 
Shout  the  glad  tidings,  400 
Since  Christ,  our  Passover,  is  slain,  80, 

.347 
Since  Jesus  freely  did  appear,  331 
Sing  we  of  the  golden  city,  582 
Softly  falls  the  twilight  ray,  365 
Softly  now  the  light  of  day,  400 
Soldiers  of  Christ,  arise,  241 
Sons  of  men,  behold  from  far,  230 
Stand  up  for  Jesus,  308 
Stand  up,  stand  up  for  Jesus,  308 
Still  with  Thee,  O  my  God,  538 
Sun  of  my  soul.  Thou  Saviour  dear,  493, 

546 
Sunset  and  evening  star,  568 
Sweet  hour  of  prayer,  484 
Sweet  is  the  work,  my  God,  my  King, 

432 
Sweet  the  moments  rich  in  blessing,  323, 

326 
Swell  the  anthem,  raise  the  song,  373 
Take  my  life,  and  let  it  be,  519 
Teach  me  yet  more  of  Thy  blest  ways,  266 
Tell  me  the  old,  old  story,  487,  491 
That  day  of  wrath,  that  dreadful  day,  435 
The  Church's  one  Foundation,  516,  552 
The  duteous  day  now  closeth,  448 
The  God  of  Abraham  praise,  254 
The  God  that  others  worship,  433 
The  hour  of  my  departure's  come,  152 
The  King,  O  God,  his  heart  to  Thee  up- 

raiseth,  448 
The  King  of  Love  my  Shepherd  is,  siS 
The  Lord  be  thanked  for  his  gifts,  29,  34, 

84 
The  Lord  be  with  us  when  we  sail,  517 
The  Lord  is  King!    Lift  up  thy  voice,  453 
The  morning  light  is  breaking,  365,  379 
The  night  is  come,  like  to  the  day,  70 
The  only  lorde  of  Israel,  28 
The  radiant  mom  hath  passed  away,  447, 

S17 
The  roseate  hues  of  early  dawn,  si6 
The  sands  of  time  are  sinking,  539 
The   shepherds   have   lifted   their   sweet 

warning  voice,  433 


INDEX 


607 


Hymns:  Indexed  under  the  first  line  (con- 
tinued): 
The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war,  442 
The  sower  went  forth  sowing,  517 
The  Spirit  in  our  hearts,  400 
The  Spirit  of  God  Hke  a  fire  is  burning, 

432 
The  tree  of  life,  my  soul  hath  seen,  202 
There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood,  332 
There  is  an  hour  of  peaceful  rest,  376 
There's  a  star  in  the  sky,  568 
There  were  ninety  and  nine,  491 
Thine  arm,  O  Lord,  in  days  of  old,  516 
Thine  for  ever,  God  of  love,  517 
This  is  the  day  of  light,  517 
Thou  art  the  Way,  to  Thee  alone,  400 
Thou  fountain  of  bliss,  334 
Thou  God,  all  Glory,  Honour,  Power,  80 
Thou  hast  gone  up  on  high,  516 
Thou,  Who  at  Thy  first  Eucharist  didst 

pray,  518 
Thou,  who  didst  stoop  below,  468 
Thro'  all  the  changing  scenes  of  life,  49 
Thy  kingdom  come,  O  God,  517 
Thy  way,  not  mine,  O  Lord,  538 
Till  He  come!    O  let  the  word,  519 
'Tis  midnight,  and  on  Olives'  brow,  376 
To  God  be  Glory,  Peace  on  Earth,  80 
To  Him  who  is  the  Life  of  life,  482 
To  Thee,  and  to  Thy  Christ,  O  God,  539 
'Twixt    gleams    of    joy,    and    clouds    of 

doubt,   537 
Up  to  the  throne  of  God  is  borne,  436 
Veni  Creator  Spiritus,  28,  a,  34,  37,  40, 

43-  44.  77,  227,  354 
View  me,  Lord,  a  work  of  Thine,  65 
We  praise  thee  God,  28 
We  sing  His  love  who  was  once  slain,  328 
We  sing  to  Thee,  Thou  Son  of  God,  317 
We  sing  to  thee  whos  wisdom  fonn'd,  78 
Weary  of  earth  and  laden.  516 
We'll  find  the  place  which   God  for  us 

prepared,  433 
Welcirme  Fortoun,  welcum  againe,  33 
What  grace,  O  Lord,  and  beauty  shone, 

S07 
What  greater  wealth  than  a  contented 

minde,  34 
What  man  soeuer  he  be  that,  28 
What  tho'  my  frail  eye-lids  refuse,  334 
When  all  Thy  mercies,  O  my  God,  155 
When  I  can  read  my  Title  clear,  116,  585 
When  I  survey  the  wondrous  Cross,  116, 

419 
When  Jesus  first  at  heaven's  command, 

328 
When  the  weary,  seeking  rest,  538 
When  the  passing  world  is  done,  537 
Where  cross  the  crowded  ways  of  life, 

312,  58s 
Where  high  the  heavenly  temple  stands. 

Where  righteousness  doth  say,  29,  34 
Where  shall  my  wand'ring  soul  begin,  229 
While  my  Jesus  I'm  possessing,  326 
While  Shepherds  watch'd  their  Flocks  by 

Night,  80,  206,  347 
While  Thee  I  seek,  protecting  Power,  140 
While  with  ceaseless  course  the  sun,  337 
Why  do  we  mourn  departing  Friends,  117 
Wilt  Thou  forgive  that  sin,  64 
With  Glory  clad,  with  Strength  arrayed, 

49 
With  heavenly  power,  O  Lord,  defend, 

328 
With  Mary's  love,  without  her  fear,  156 
Ye  scarlet-coloured  sinners,  come,  203 
You  will  see  your  Lord  a  coming,  429 
Hymns  adapted  to  divine  worship  (Gibbons), 

124,  127,  212 


Hymns    adapted    to    public    worship    (Bed- 
dome).  215 
(Irish),  539 

Hymns  adapted  ip  the  circumstances  of  public 
worship  (Fawcett),  215 

Hymns  adapted  to  the  public  worship  of  the 
Christian  Church  (Campbell),  381 

Hymns  ancient  and  modern,  447,  448,  506. 
S09,  522,  SS2,  SS3;  Preparation,  509; 
reception,  510;  contents,  510;  circula- 
tion, 510,  sii;  revision,  511,  568;  new 
hymns  in,  515;  supplements  to,  513; 
music  of,  521;  American  reprints,  546. 
Historical  Edition,  90,  357,  510 

Hymns  and  Anthems  (Fox),  450 

Hymns  and  Choirs,  475 

Hymns  and  devotional  Poetry  (Andrews),  401 

Hymns  and  Hymn  Makers  (Campbell),  126 

Hymns  and  Hymn  Writers  (Brownlie),  541, 
542 

Hymns  and  Hymn  Writers  of  the  Church 
(Nutter  and  Tillett),  304 

Hymns  and  Inlroiis  (White),  509 

Hymns  and  Meditations  (Waring),  519 

Hvmns    and    Sacred    Poems     (C.     and    J. 
Wesley): 

1739,  229,  231,  236,  280,  358 

1740,  231,  236 
1742,  234.  236 

(C.  Wesley).  234 
Hymns  and  Singers  of  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  483 
Hymns  and  Songs  of  Praise,  553 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs   (Alline),   366, 

367 
(Browne),  62,  105,  123,  127,  212 
(Christians),  480 
(Jayne),  200 
(Glassite),  156 
(Watts),  see  Watts,  Isaac. 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  collected  (New- 
port), 199 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  composed  (by 

J.  Franklin),  14s 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  for  Ne'iv  Church. 

426,  529 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  for  the  use  of 

Christians  (Phila.),  294 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  intended  for  the 

use  of  real   Christians   (Wesley),    236, 

281 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  mostly  collected 

(Gen.  Bapt.),  142 
Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  selected  (Gen. 

Bapt.),  143 
Hymns    and   Spiritual    Songs    selected    and 

original  (Dupuy),  203 
Hymns  chiefly  mediceval,  502 
Hymns  collected  by  committee  of  General  As- 
sembly (i860),  532 
Hymns  composed  by  different  authors  (Univ.), 

424 
Hymns  composed  for  the  celebration  .  .  .  of 

Baptism,  100,  105,  213 
Hymns  composed  for  the  use  of  the  Brethren 

(Wesley),  268 
Hymns  composed  on  several  subjects  (Davis), 

104,  IDS,  106 
Hymns  com. posed  on  various  subjects  (Hart), 

213 
Hymns   connected   with    passages   of  sacred 

Scripture,  532 
Hymns  designed  for  Second  Advent   Band, 

429 
Hymns   devotional   and   moral    (Needham), 

215 

Hymns  doctrinal  and  Experimental  (Clarke), 

145 
Hymns  for  Ascension  Day,  233 
Hymns  for  the  Chapel  of  Harrow  School,  44s 
Hymns  for  Children  (Wesley),  233,  238 


6o8 


INDEX 


Hymns   for    Children    and    others    of  riper 

years  (C.  Wesley),  238 
Hyvins  for  the  Christian  Church  (Ellis),  471 
Hymns  for  the  Christian. Chtirch  and  Home 

(Martineau),  87,  135.  449 
Hymns  for  Christian  Devotion,  481 
Hymns  for  Christian  Melody,  367 
Hymns  for  Christian  worship  (Seagrave),  317 
Hymns  for  Church  and  Chamber,  520 
Hymns  for  Church  and  Home  (Prot.  Episc), 
545 
(Stevenson),  540 
(Univ.).  472 
Hymns  for  the  Church  and  the  Home  (Univ.), 

481,  482 
Hymns  for  the  Church  of  Christ,  465 
Hymns  for  the  Church  of  England  (Darling), 

S13 
Hymns  for  the  Church  on  Earth  (Ryle),  SI9 
Hymns   for    divine    worship    (Meth.     New 

Conn.),  27s 
Hymns  for  Infant  Minds,  436 
Hymns  for  Missions,  515 
Hymns  for  the  Monthly  Concert,  37  s 
Hymns  for  the  Nation  in  1782,  233 
Hymns  for  the  National  Fast,  1782,  233 
Hymns  for  the  Nativity,  233 
Hymns  for  the  Ne^v  Church,  344 
Hymns  for  New  Year's  Day,  233 
Hymns  for  the  Nursery,  436 
Hymns  for  our  Lord's  Resurrection,  233 
Hymns  for  Pastors  and  People  (Dunn),  279 
Hymns  for  the  poor  of  the  flock,  507 
Hymns  for  the  principal  festivals  (Cecil),  350 
Hymns  for   the   public    Thanksgiving    Day, 

1746,  233 
Hymns  for  public  worship  (Briggs),  463 
(Enfield),  132 
(Scottish),  532 
Hymns  for  public  worship,  part  II  (Boston), 

175 
Hymns  for  Reformed  Church  in  U.  S.,  549 
Hymns  for  Schools  (Hill),  32S 
Hymns  for  the  services  of  the  Church  (Old- 
know),  SCO 
Hymns  for  social  worship  (Whitefield) ,  317, 
318,  319.  322,  359,  360 
(Wilson),  195 
Hymyis  for  Thanksgiving,  17 59,  233 
Hymns  for   those   that   seek   and   those   that 
live  redemption  (Wesley),  234,  281,  2S7 
Hymns  for  times  of  trouble,  233 
Hymns  for    times   of  trouble   and    persecu- 
tion, 233 
Hymns  for  the  use    of  Christians  (Smith), 

366 
Hymns  for  the  use  of  the  Church  of  Christ 

(Chapman),  507 
Hymns  for   the   use   of  the   Churches    (Irv- 

ingete),  528 
Hymns  for    use    of     Evangelical    Lutheran 

Church,  560 
Hymns  for  the  use  of  families,  235 
Hymns  for  the  use  of  Methodist  Episcopal 

Church,  299,  300 
Hymns  for  the  use  of  Methodist  New  Con- 
nexion, 27s 
Hymns  for    the    use    of   the    New    Church, 

344.  426,  529 
Hymns  for  the  use  of  Presbyterian  congre- 
gation in  Lisburn,  133 
Hymns  for  Vestry  and  Fireside,  365 
Hymns  for  the  Watchnight,  233 
Hymns  for  the  year  1756,  233 
Hymns  for  Youth  (Presby.),  383 
Hymns  from  Greek  office  books,  505 
Hymns  from  the  Land  of  Luther,  507,  539 
Hymns  from  Yattendon  Hymnal,  448 
Hymns    founded    on    various    texts    (Dod- 
dridge), 211 


Hymns  in  a  great  variety   of   metres    (Fel- 
lows), 215 
Hymns  in  commemoration  of  the  sufferings 

of  our  blessed  Saviour.  100,  105 
Hymns  occasioned  by  the  Earthquake,  233 
Hymns  of  the  Advent,  430 
Hymns  of  the  Ages  (Kerr),  556 

(Whitmarsh),  465 
Hymns  of  the  Church  (Refd.  Dutch),  550 
Hymns  of  the  Church  mostly  primitive,  500 
Hymns  of  the  Church  new  and  old,  583 
Hymns  of  the  Church  Universal,  472 
Hymns  of  Consecration  and  Faith,  520 
Hymns  of  the  Eastern  Church,  505 
Hymns  of  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  562 
Hymns  of  Faith  and  Life  (Hunter),  460,  579 
Hymns  of  the  Faith,  557,  S8i 
Hymns  of  Grace  and  Glory,  485 
Hymns  of  the  Greek  Church,  505 
Hymns  of  Holy  Eastern  Church,  505 
Hymns  of  Intercession,  234 
Hymns  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  584 
Hymns  of  the  Morning,  430 
Hymns  of  Petition  and  Thanksgiving,  233 
Hymns  of  Praise  (Mote),  147 
Hymns  of  Praise  and  Prayer  (Martineau), 

451,  578 
Hymns  of  Prayer  and  Praise  (Refd.  Dutch), 

550 
Hymns  of  the  primitive  Church  (Chandler), 

467,  496 
Hymns  of  the  Sanctuary  (Bartol),  464,  467 

■(U.  B.),  313 
Hymns  of  the  Spirit,  465,  578 
Hymns  c>f  .Spiritual  Experience  (Mason),  530 
Hymns  of  Worship  (Lord),  544 
Hymns  of  Worship  and  Service,  584,  587 
Hymns  of  Zion  (Thomas),  425 
Hymns  on  Believers'  Baptism,  215 
Hy7nns  on  the  Catechism  (Williams),  515 
Hymns  on  different  Spiritual  Subjects,  200 
Hymns  on  the  Expected  Invasion,  233 
Hymns  on  the  great  Festivals  (Lampe),  240 
Hymns  on  God's  everlasting  Love,  232 
llyjuns   on    the   Lord's   Supper    (Wesleys'), 

234,  251 
Hymns  on  a  variety  of  divine  .Subjects,  149 
Hymns  on  various  passages  (Kelly),  441 
Hymns  original  and  selected,  by  W.  P.,  519 
Hymns     partly     collected,     partly     original 

(Collyer),  128 
Hymns,      Psalms,      and     Spiritual     Songs 

(Graves),  203 
Hymns  recommended  for  Ref  Episc.  Church, 

548 
Hymns    selected    and    original    (Lutheran), 

416,  417,  418,  419;  Ed.  1852,  561 
Hymns    selected   and   arranged  for   Sunday 

schools  (Krauth),  418 
Hymns    selected    and    original   for    Sunday 

schools  (Passavant),  418 
Hymns  selected  for  the  -parish  of  Sandbach, 

500 
Hymns  selected  for  Trinity  Church,  Boston, 

214,  396 
Hvmns  suited  to  the  Christian  worship  in 

U.  S.  A.,  188 
Hymns:  supplemental  (Herder).  457 
Hymns    taken    from    Supplement    to    Tate 

and  Brady,  341 
Hymns  translated  from  the  German,  507 
Hymns  translated  from  Parisian   Breviary, 

495 
Hymns  written  in  the  time  of  tumults,  233 
"Hymnus,"  viii 

I 

"I"  and  "we"  hymns.  516 

Immanuel's  Land,  539 

In  Excelsis,  555,  580,  584 


INDEX 


609 


Indet^endent,  the,  458 

Independents,  see  Congregationalists 

Ingelo.  Nathaniel,  78 

Ingham,  Benjamin,  223,  318,  325 

Innocents,  553 

Inspirational  singing,  95,  427,  431 

Inspired    hymns    vs.     "hymns    of    human 

composure,"  22,  23,  109,  no 
Instrumental  music,   86,   87,  95.    171.   I73, 

18S,  242,  243,  486,  533 
Intercession  (tune),  527 
Introductory  Essay  to  Olney  Hymns  (Mont- 
gomery), 338  . 
Inconsistency    of   several    passages    tn    Dr. 

Watts,  176 
Inner  Life  of  the  Religious  Societies  of  the 

Commonwealth  (Barclay),  92,  94.  95.  96 
Inquiry  into  historical  proofs   (Gray),   355, 

3S6 
Introduction  to  the  skill  of  music,  7S 
Introits  and  Chants  for   Margaret   Chapel, 

500 
Introspective  hymn,  the,  214,  339 
Invalid's  Hymn  Book,  519 
Invocation  of  Saints,  570 
Irons,  William  J.,  516 
Ireland:  Church  of,  512 

Presbyterians  in,  539,  540..  S4i.  542 
Non-subscribing  Presbyterians,   133,   13s 
Irving,  Edward,  528 
Isaac,  Daniel,  243 
Issues    of   Pennsylvania    Press,    185,    i99, 

271,  359 


Jackson,  F.,  i6s.  166 

Jackson,  Samuel,  264 

Jackson,  Thomas,  222,  223,  23s,  245,  268 

Jacob,  B.,  327 

"         •    T.  C.  4K 


412,  413,  419 


[15.    132,    341. 


Jacobi,  J.  C,  410 

Jacobs,  H.  E.,  410,  4 

Jacque,  George,  537 

James  I,  47.164,  66 

James,  William,  328 

Jay,  William,  127,  128 

Jayne,  Ebenezer,  200 

Jenkins,  E.  Evans,  255 

Jenks,  A.  S.,  300 

Jennings  and  Doddridge's  Edition  of  Watts' 

Works,  117 
Jerks,  the,  298 
Jervis,  Thomas,  134,  140 
Johns,  J.,  140 
Johnson,  E.  H.,  559 
Johnson,  John  T.,  371 
Johnson,    Dr.    Samuel, 

393.  440,  451 
Johnson,  Rev.  Samuel,  463,  464,  466,  467, 

468,  578 
Jones,  Abner,  296 
Jones,  Darius  E.,  473 
Jones,  Herbert,  322 
Jones,  J.  Edmund,  512 
Jones,  Samuel,  200 
Jones  and  Taylor's  Collection,  322 
Jonson,  Ben,  64 
Journals    of    General     Conventions     (Prot. 

Episc),  390,  391,  392,  393,  394,  395, 

396,  397,  399,  401 
Journal  of  Presbyterian  Historical  Society, 

vii,  114,  116,  166,  212 
Journal  of  Theological  Studies,  448 
Jubilee  Harp,  430 
Judson,  A.,  365 
Julian,  J.:  see  Dictionary  of  Hymnology 


Keach,  Benjamin,  96,  97-100,  197 
Keble,  John,  251,  436,  444,  493,  49s,  509, 
S14.  S15.  530 


Keble,  Thomas,  499 

Keen,  Robert,  359 

Keiss,  157 

Kelly,  Thomas,  441 

Kelso,  538 

Kemble,  Charles,  506 

Kempthorne,  J.,  353 

Ken,  Thomas,  69,  206,  227,  251,  394 

Ken,  Thomas,  Life  of  (Plumptre),  70 

Kendal  Hymn  Book,  326 

Kendall,  T.,  64 

Kennedy,  Benjamin  H.,  446 

Kentucky:   I'.salmody  controversy  in,    190; 

Revival,  291,  293,  290,  297,  370,  371 
Kerr,  R.  P.,  ysO 
Keswick  Convention,  520 
Key,  Francis  S.,  400 
Kilham,  A.,  275 
Killaloe,  Bishop  of,  356 
Kimball,  Jacob,  170 
King's  Primer,  38,  39,  41,  44 
King,  James,  25 
Kingdom,  hymns  of  the,  581 
Kingsley,  George,  479 
King's  Chapel,  Boston,  175,  461,  466,  472 
Kingswood,  230 
Kinwelmarsh,  P.,  64 
Kipling,  Rudyard,  vi,  569 
Kippis,  A.,  132,  134.  140 
Knapp,  Albert,  263 
Knapp,  Elder,  365 
Kneeland,  Abner,  424 
Knox,  John,  26,  27 
Koch,  E.  E.,  263 
Krauth,  Charles  P.,  418 
Krauth,  Harriet  R.,  560,  561 
Kunze,  John  C,  411,  412 


La  Trobe,  C.  I.,  270,  274 

Labourer's  Noon-day  Hymn,  436 

Lacey,  T.  A.,  569 

Lady  Huntingdon's  Coime.xion,  319-325 

Laing,  D.,  26,  33 

Lambeth;  Archepiscopal  Library,  227 

Lamentation,  the,  29,  30.  33.  34.  35.  77 

Lamentation  over  Boston,  169;  over  New 
York,  432 

Lampe,  J.  P.,  240 

Lamport,  W.,  140 

Lancashire  (tune),  527 

Lancashire  horn  pipes,  239 

Lanier,  Sidney,  568 

Landmarks  of  Evangelical  Association,  314 

"Large  Hymn  Book":  Methodist,  236,  237; 
Primitive  Methodist,  276,  277 

Later  Poems  (Chadwick),  472 

Latham,  H.,  445 

Lathbury,  Mary  A.,  311 

Latin  Churc'n  hymns:  meaning  of  "hym- 
nus,"  viii;  see  Office  Hymns;  Luther's 
and  Calvin's  attitude  toward,  22,  23; 
absence  from  Prayer  Book,  37-45; 
long  neglected,  44,  45;  restored  through 
Oxford  Movement,  493-497;  trans- 
lated, 317,  444,  49S,  496,  502,  S15, 
537.  539.  543;  in  the  churches,  444, 
462,  465,  466,  475,  543,  552.  573 

Laudes  Domini,  554 

Laud's  Prayer  Book,  47 

Law,  Andrew,  171,  192,  193 

Law,  William,  223 

Lawfulness,  excellence  and  advantage  of 
Instrumental  Music,  185 

Lawrence,  John,  90 

Leavitt,  Joshua,  376,  377,  378,  379 

Lecture  Room  Hymn  Book,  401,  402 

Lectureships,  London,  317,  329 


6io 


INDEX 


Lectures,  Essays  and  Sermons  by  S.  Long- 
fellow, 464 

Lednum,  John,  281 

Lee,  Ann,  427 

Lee,  Robert,  533 

Leeds:  Brunswick  Chapel,  243,  278;  Se- 
lection (1822),  128;  Hymn  Book,  454. 
4S9 

Leicester,  350 

Leifchild,  J.,  453 

Leith,  152 

Lenox  Collection  (N.  Y.),  226 

Lesser  Awakening,  372 

Letter  to  Bishop  of  Oxford,  499 

Letter  to  clergy  of  Church  of  Unitas  Fratrum, 
269 

Letter  to  Members  of  Congregational  Union, 
4SS 

Letters  from  a  Blacksmith,  159 

Lewes,  Presbytery  of,  182 

Leyden,  loi 

Liberal  Hymnody:  see  Hymnody  of  the 
Liberal  Faith 

Library  of  Religious  Poetry,  553 

Liddon,  H.  P.,  499 

Lieb,  J.  P.,  314 

Life  of  our  Blessed  Lord,  221 

Lightwood,  J.  T.,  240 

Lilley,  John  D.,  273 

Lincoln,  W.,  165,  166 

Lindsey,  T.,  133 

Lining  out  the  Psalm,  51.  75.  86,  104,  107, 
144,  192,  207,  219 

Linsley  and  Davis'  Select  Hymns,  363 

Lisbon  (tune),  170 

Lisburn,  133 

Litany  hymns,  517 

Litany  with  Suffrages  (1544).  39 

Literary  History  of  Scotland,  l6o 

Literary  Hymn,  the,  252,  437,  44°.  445, 
458,  469,  569 

Literary  movement,  review  of,  458.  459,  5^7 

Literature  and  h^Tnns,  their  relation;  v, 
vi,  viii.  Watts'  view,  115,  252,  440; 
Wesleys',  252,  253.  440;  Johnson's, 
440;  Montgomery's,  441;  Heber's,  438, 
442;  Martineau's,  449;  Horder's,  457, 
4S8 

Littledale,  R.  F.,  505,  S14.  Si7 

Liturgical  Hymn,  the,  251,  252,  498,  sn. 
517 

Liturgical  movement;  see  chap.  X;  570-574 

Liturgical  Question,  the  (Nevin),  548 

Liturgies  of  Edward  VI,  41 

"Liturgy,  the":  see  Prayer  Book  system 

Liturgy  (Ger.  Refd.),  548 

Liturgy  and  Hymns  for  Protestant  Church 
of  U.  B.,  271,  272 

Liturgy  of  New  Church,  426 

Livermore,  A.  A.,  463,  468 

Livermore,  L.  J.,  471 

Livermore,  Sarah  W.,  468 

Liverpool,  Renshaw  Street,  449 

Liverpool  Collection  (1763),  175 

Liverpool  Liturgy,  133 

Lives  of  the  Poets  (Johnson),  115,  132,  440 

Livingston,  John  H.,  404,  405,  408 

Livingston,  Neil,  33 

Lloyd,  Bishop,  495 

Lock  Collection,  330,  373 

Lock  Hospital,  329,  344 

Logan,  John,  151,  152,  153 

London  Asjdum,  344 
Bentinck  Chapel,  351 
Booth's  Mission,  485 
Charities,  343 

children,  219,  222,  345 
singing,  345,  357 
Charter  House,  53 
Christ's  Hospital,  436 


City  Road  Chapel,  236 

Devonshire    Square   (7th   day    Baptist), 
100 

Foundery,  147,  229,  239,  331 

Fetter  Lane  Meeting,  227,  263,  318 

Foundling  Hospital,  344 

Gordon  Square,  529 

Horsley-Down,  97 

Jewin  St.,  213 

King's  Weigh  House,  89,  no 

Lady    Huntingdon's    chapels,    320,    322, 
323,  329 

Leather  Lane,  132 

Lectureships,  317,  329 

Lock  Hospital,  329,  344 

Loriner's  Hall,  317 

Magdalen  Asylum,  345 

Mare  St.  Meeting,  131 

Margaret  Chapel,  499,  50o 

Meeting  of  Ministers,  106 

Moorfields,  229,  317 

Moravians  in,  227,  228,  263 

Orange  St.  Chapel,  333 

Proprietary  chapels,  329 

Regent  Square,  526,  528 

St.  Alban's  (Holborn),  504 

St.     James:  German  Chapel,  410 

St.  Margaret's,  443 

St.  Paul's,  345,  5o8 

Surrey  Chapel,  327 

Tabernacle:  Whitefield's,   213,  317,  318; 
Spurgeon's,  452 

Tate  and  Brady,  used  in,  219 

Temple,  75 

Union  Chapel,  456,  508,  522 

West  End  Evangelicalism,  329,  344 

Westminster  Abbey,  447 

Y.  M.  C.  A.,  483 
London  (Smart's  tune),  527 
Londonderry,  133 
Long  Island,  North  Classes  of,  407 
Long  metre,  39 
Longfellow,  H.  W.,  466.  468 
Longfellow,    Samuel,    442,    463,    464,    466, 

467.  468,  469,  471,  578,  579 
Longfellow,  Samuel  (May),  464 
Lord,  Willis,  544 
Lord's  Prayer  versified,  27,  29,  30,  31,  33, 

34.  36,  77 
Loriner's  Hall,  317 
Love,  W.  de  L.,  202 
Lowell,  Charles,  174 
Lowell,  J.  R.,  464,  468 
Lowrie,  Robert,  57 
Lowry,  Robert,  484 
Loy,  M.,  420 

Lunt,  W.  P.,  461,  462,  468,  471 
Luther,  Martin,  20,  21,  22,  23,  24,  26,  31, 
55,  205,  266;  influence  in  England,  25, 
31,     42;     hymn    against     Turks,     31; 
Lord's  Prayer,  31 
Lutheran  Church  (U.  S.): 

1756-1859.  English  Hymns  in,  410-420 

1863-1899,    the    more    churchy    period, 
560-563 
Lutheran  Church  Review,  560 
Luther's  Spiritual  Songs,  507 
Lu.x  Benigna,  520 
Lynch,  T.  Toke,  108,  454,  455,  579 
Lynch,  T.  Toke,  Memoir  of  (White),  108 
Lyon,  James,  170,  184 
Lyra  Apostolica,  514.  SI5 
Lyra  Catholica,  465,  501,  544 
Lyra  Davidica,  346 
Lyra  Cermanica,  507 
Lyra  Innocejitium,  514 
Lyric  Studies,  277,  278 
Lyte,  Henry  F.,  444 
Lyte,  Henry  F.,  Remains  of,  444 
Lyth,  J.,  255 


INDEX 


6ii 


M 

McCheyne,  R.  M..  s.!7 

Macclesfield,  J35 

McClure,  Uavid,  366 

McConnell,  S.  D.,  396,  400 

McCrie,  Charles  G.,  i^i,  154.  530,  532,  S34 

McCrie,  Thomas,  130 

McCron,  Dr.,  418 

McDonald,  W.,  300,  309,  3ii 

McDonnold,  B.  W.,  297,  556 

Macduff,  John  R.,  537 

Macgill,  Hamilton,  531,  537 

McGlothlin,  W.  J.,  197 

McGrananan,  James,  487,  490 

McGready,  James,  291 

McHart,  William,  381 

Maclagan,  D.  J.,  57.  S8,  59.  148,  151.  152, 

Maclagan,  W.  D.,  517 

Macleod,  Norman,  S37 

Macmillan,  D.,  588 

Macmillans'  tlagazine,  447 

McNemar,  Richard,  428 

McNemar,  Richard,  Life  of,  428 

Madan,  M.,    329,  330,  331,  33S.   359.  373. 

513 
Maggots,  220 
Magnificat,  28,  34,  77 
Magnificat,  the,  563 
Manning,  President,  196 
Mant,  Richard,  467,  496,  514,  515,  S16 
Manual  of  Christian  Psalmody,  363,  379 
Manual  of  Prayers  (Ken),  69,  70 
Manual  of  Praise  (Oberlin),  557 
Manual     of     United     Brethren     Publishing 

House,  312,  313 
Many-sided  Franklin,  the  (Ford),  162 
Marckant,  John,  206 
Mare  St.  Meeting,  131 
Marlborough  College,  44s,  446 
Marlow,  Isaac,  98,  99 
Marot,  Clement,  46,  205 
Marshall,  Julia  Ann,  519 
Marshall's  Primer,  38 
Martin,  George  C,  512 
Martin,  Samuel,  153 
Martineau,  Harriet,  140 
Martineau,  James,  87,   133,   135,  436,  449, 

450,  451,  452,  578,  S79; 
on  Wesley,  249;  on  hymns,  449 
Martineau,    James,    Life     and    Letters     of, 

249 
Maryland:    German   Reformed   Classes  of, 

409;  Methodism  in,  394,  397 
Maryland,  my  Maryland,  310 
Masicell's  Monumenta  ritualia,  38 
Mason,  A.  J.,  518 
Mason,  Caroline  A.,  468 
Mason,  Jackson,  518 
Mason,  John,  71,  105,  206 
Mason,    Lowell,    172,    310,    363,    377,    378, 


Mason    and   Patton's    Christian    Psalmist, 

388 
Massachusetts  Pastoral  Association,  389 
Massie,  Richard,  507 
Materials  for  a  History  of  the  Baptists  in 

Delaware,  197 
Materials  for  a  History  of  the  Baptists  in 

Pennsylvania,  198 
Mather,  Cotton,  162 
Matins  and  Vespers,  436 
Matheson,  George,  538,  588,  589 
Matheson,  George,  Life  of,  588 
Mattison,  H.,  301 
Maude,  Mary  F.,  517 
Maurice,  Peter,  520 
Maxfield,  T.,  322 
May,  Joseph,  464 


Mayhew,  Jonathan,  173 

Mearns,  James,  58,  116,  156 

Mediaeval  Hymns  and  Sequences,  502 

Medley,  Samuel,  215 

Meeting  houses,  Presbyterian,  85 

Mein,  John,  360 

Melita  (tune),  521 

Melville,  Andrew,  34 

Melville,  James,  34 

Memorial  Sermon  (Eddy),  197,  198 

Memoirs  of  Hymn  Writers  (Gadsby),  331 

Memoirs    of    Protestant    Episcopal    Church 

(White),  390,  392,  393.  395.  396,  399 
Mennonites,  91,  92,  368 
Mercer,  Jes.se,  203 
Mercer,  William,  508 
Mercersburg  theology,  548 
Merton  (tune),  471 
Messiah  (Handel),  324 
Messiter,  A.  H.,  547 
Methodist  Discipline,  284 
Methodist  Free  Church  Hymns,  279 
Methodist  Harmonist,  290 
Methodist  Hymn  Book  (Canadian),  280 
(English,  1904),  221,  237,  27s,  279,  280, 

304 
Methodist  Hymn  Book  and  its  associations 

(Stevenson),  237 
Methodist  Hymn  Book  illustrated  (Telford), 

230,  231,  237 
Methodist  Hymnal  (1905),  304,  568 
Methodist  Hymnology  (Creamer),  231,  246, 

291,  333 
Methodist  Pocket  Hymn  Book,  289 
Methodist  Protestant  Church  Hymnal,  309 
Methodist  Quarterly  Review,  290,   291,   293, 

,301,  476 
Methodist  Review,  364 
Methodist  Social  Hymn  Book,  300 
Methodist  Tune  Book,  280 
Methodists:'  England:  the  name  "Method- 
ist," 222 

the  "reproach  of  Methodism,"  258 

Wesleyan,  see  Wesleyan  Methodism 

Calvinistic  in  Wales,  232,  324 

Methodist  New  Cormexion,  275,  279 

Primitive  Methodists,  275,  280 

Camp  Meeting  Methodists,  273 

Protestant  Methodists,  243,  278 

Wesleyan  Methodist  Association,  278 

Wesleyan  Reformers,  279 

United     Methodist      Free      Churches, 
279 

United  Methodist  Church,  279 

Bible  Christians,  279 
Australasia,  280 
Canada,  280 
United  States:  Beginnings,  281,  394 

Wesley's  effort  to  control  the  worship, 
281 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  282 
Its  hymnody,  283,  284 
1784-1848,  285 
Camp  meeting  hymns   (1800),    291, 

311 
1847-1905,  298 

Meth.  Episc.  Church,  South,  299,  302, 
304 

Reformed  Methodist  Church,  305 

Methodist  Society,  306 

African   Methodist  Episcopal   Church, 
306 

African  M.  E.  Zion  Church,  307 

Methodist  Protestants,  307 

Methodist  Church,  309 

Wesleyan  Methodist  Connection,  310 

Free  Methodists,  310 

Review  of  American  Methodist  Hym- 
nody, 310 

hymn- writers,  311 


6l2 


INDEX 


Metres:  of  O.  V.,  207,  20S;  N.  V.,  208, 
254;  Watts,  207,  20S,  254;  Wesleys, 
213,  254;  C.  M.,  207;  L.  M.,  39,  207; 
S.  M.,  207;  old  148th,  207;  7s,  39; 
trochaic,  39,  254;  iambric,  39,  254; 
particular,  127,  207,  254;  Pindaric, 
114 

Metrical    Psalm,    the;   as   God's   Word   it- 
self, 23 
Versified  for  popular  singing,  23 
as  the   substitute  for   hymns  of   human 

composure,  24 
a  utilitarian,  not  poetic,  device,  46 

Metrical   Psalmody:   instituted  by   Calvin, 
22,  23 
on  Scriptural  grounds,  23 
the    only     Church    Song    of    Reformed 

Churches,  vii,  23 
adopted   by  English-speaking   Churches, 

25 
Out  of  it  grew  their  modern  Hymn  sing- 
ing, 45 
to  trace  which  growth  is  the  theme  of 
this  book,  ix 

Miami  Conference,  477 

Middlesex  Collection,  171 

Midnight  Cry,  the,  428 

Mildmay  Conference,  519 

Miles,  Sarah:E.,  468 

Millar,  J.  H.,  160 

Millard,  D.,  480 

Millard,  J.  E.,  516 

Millennial  Harp,  429 

Millennial  Praises,  427 

Miller,  Emily  H.,  312 

Miller,  H.,  363 

Miller,  H.  Thane,  484 

Miller,  John  (Prebsyterian),  182 

Miller,  John  (Moravian),  273 

Miller,  Josiah,  317,  321,  453 

Miller,  Samuel,  Life  of  (S.  Miller),  182 

Miller,  William,  428,  429 

Mills,  Henry,  417,  543 

Milman,  Hem-y  Hart,  436,  438,  439,  443 

Milner,  Thomas,  106,  113,  123,  132 

Milton,  John,  64 

Ministry  of  Taunton,  161 

Minstrelsy,  Early,  19 

Minutes  of  Committee  of  Citizens  (Phila- 
delphia), 192 

Minutes  of  Conferences  (Meth.),  239,  241, 
242,  243 

Minutes  of  General  Assembly  (Pres.  Ch.  in 
U.  S.  A.),  194.  380,  381,  382,  555; 
(New  School  Branch),  384,  385.  386 

Minutes  of  Methodist  Conferences  in  Amer- 
ica, 285 

Minutes  of  Philadelphia  Baptist  Associa- 
tion, 197.  200 

Minutes  of  several  conversations  (Coke),  283 

Miss  Hata way's  Experience,  203 

Missal,  70,  SOI,  502 

Mitchell,  A.  P.,  26:   Edward,  424 

Missionary  Herald,  375 

Missionary  Hymnody,  beginnings  of,  324, 
353.  375 

Moderates,  the,  153 

Monk,  W.  H.,  SIC,  521,  523,  535,  542 

Monsell,  J.  S.  B.,  513,  5i5.  Si7 

Montgomerie,  Alexander,  47 

Montgomery,  James,  205,  255,  271,  272, 
274.  338,  355.  356.  436,  441.  450,  451. 
453.  508 

Montgomery,  James,  Memoir  of,  271 

Monthly  Christian  Spectator,  454 

Monthly  Miscellany,  462 

Monumenta  ritualia  Eccl.  Angl.,  38 

Moody,  Dwight  L.,  484,  485.  488,  490,  492 

Moody.  Dwight  L.,  Life  of  (W.  R.  Moody), 
48s 


Moody  and  Sankey,  96,  378,  486-492,  567 

Moody  and  Sankey,  Lives  of  (Nason),  484 

Moore,  Henry,  140 

Moore,  Thomas,  435,  436,  438,  439,  451 

Moorfields,  229,  317 

Moorsom,  R.  M.,  505 

Moravians:  153;  the  German  Hymnody,  262 

1741-1754.  the  eccentric  period,  262-270 

1789-1901,  the  normal  period,  270-274 

Moravians  and   Wesley,   224,    227,    228, 
263,  267 

Moravian  hymn  writers,  273 

Moravian  singing,  224,  273 

Moravian  type  of  Hymn,  265 
More,  H.,  224 
Morgan,  D.  T.,  517 
Morgan,  E.,  324 
Morgan,  John,  113 
Morgan.  R.  C;  his  Life  and  Work  (G.  C. 

Morgan),  485 
Morgan,  Thomas,  134 
Morisons,  the,  459 
Mormons:  1830-1 891,  431-434 
Morning  Advertiser,  454,  455 
Morning     and     Evening     Services     (New 

Church),  529 
Morning  Hymn  Book,  237 
Morning  Light,  344 
Mote,  E.,  147 
Moule,  H.  C.  G.,  520 
Moulton,  T.  C,  481 
Moultrie,  G.,  517 
Mountain,  J.,  520 
Muhlenberg,  H.  M.,  410 
Muhlenberg,  William  A.,  398,  400,  439,  545 
Muhlenberg.  William  A.,  Life  and  Work  of 

(Ayres),  398,  399 
Murch,  J.,  89 
Murlin,  John,  254 
Murphy,  Andrew  C,  S40 
Murray,  F.  H.,  509 
Murray,  James  O.,  553 
Murray,  John,  439 
Murray,  Rev.  John,  421,  422,  423 
Murray,  Robert,  543 
Murray,  W.  Rigby,  527 
Music  and  Hymnody  of  the  Methodist  Hym- 
nal, 289,  299,  304 
Music  Hall  Hymnody,  298 
Music  in  America  (Ritter),  170,  378 
Music  of  the  Church  Hymnary  (Cowan  and 

Love),  542 
Musical  Ministries  in  the  Church,  489 
Musical  Pastels,  170 
Mussey,  M.  B.  H.,  586 
Myers,  P.  D.,  296 

N 
Narrative  and  Testimony  (Genl.  Assoc),  154 
Nason,  Ehas,  476,  484 
Nazareth  Town  (Chadwick),  472 
Neal,  Daniel,  103 
Neale,   John   Mason,   443,   445,   497,   500, 

501,  516 
Neale,  John  Mason  (Towle),  501 
Neale,  R.  H.,  204 
Needham,  John,  215 
Negative  theology,  579 
Nelson,  Earl,  68,  509,  SI3 
Neshaminy,  186,  192 
Nettleton,  A.,  366,  375,  376 
Nevin,  John  W.,  548 
Nevin,  John  Williamson,  Life  and  Work  of, 

548 
Neue  und  verbesserte  Cesangbuch,  409 
Neues  Ceist-reiches  Gesang-Buch,  225,  240 
New  and  Improved  Camp   Meeting  Hymn 

Book,  296 
New   and   large   Collection    of  Hymns    and 

Psalms,  143 


INDEX 


613 


New  and  most  complete  Collection  of  camp, 

social  and  prayer-meeting  Hymns,  297 
New  Christian  Hymn  and  Tune  Book,  372 
New    Church   Hymnody:    England,    1790- 
1880,  344.  529 
America,  1 792-1830,  426 
1863-1911.  563 
New  Church  Magazine,  344 
New  composition  of  Hymns  and  Poems,  142 
New  Collection  of  Psalms  (Enfield),  132 
New  Congregational  Hymn  and  Tune  Book 

(Nason),  476 
New    Congregational    Hymn    Book    (1859). 

454,  459 
New  England:    1620,   the   Pilgrim   Fathers 
bring  Ainsworth's  Psalter,  loi 
1640,    the    Massachusetts    Bay    Colony 

print  the  Bay  Psalm  Book;  q.  v. 
Psalmody  controversy  in,  102,  161 
decay  of  Psalmody  in,  161 
Watts  and  his  "Psalm  for  New  England," 

162 
Great  Awakening  in,  163,  198,  358 
1742-1791,  introduction  of  Watts'  "Sys- 
tem," 163-166 
1770,  new  school  of  church  music,  169 
1778-1800,  its  spread  over  New  England, 

170-172 
Baptists  m,   196,  203,  204,  362,  363 
Lesser  Awakening  in,  372,  375 
New  England  Magazine,  471 
New  England  Psalm  Singer,  169 
New  England  Puritan,  389 
New  Englander,  167,  388,  389 
New  History  of  Book  of  Common   Prayer 

(Procter),  41 
New  History  of  Methodism,  237.  243,  27S. 

276,  278,  286,  289,  30s,  308 
New  Hosanna,  564 

New  Hymn  and  Tune  Book  (African  Meth.), 
307 
(Phillips),  300,  307 
(Unitarian),  578 
New  Hymn  Book  (Genl.  Bapt.),  452 
(M.  E.  So.).  302 
(Streeter),  424 
New  Hymns  (Burnham),  200,  21S 
New  Hymns  for  Youth,  383 
New  Hymns  071  various  subjects  (Ballou),  423 
New  Jubilee  Harp,  430 
New  Laudes  Domini,  554,  580 
New  Light  Baptist  churches,  198 
New  Light  Movement,  296 
New  Manual  of  Praise  (Oberlin),  557 
New  Office  Hymn  Book,  570 
New  Providence,  N.  C,  189 
New  Psalms  and  Hymns  (So.  Pres.),  556 
New  School,  see  Presbyterian 
New  Selection  of  Hymns  (Collier),  201 
(Dobell),  128 
(Part.  Bapt.),  146,  452 
(Stevens),  146 
New  Selection  of  Psalms,  Hymns  and  Spir- 
itual Songs  (Miller),  363 
New  Side  churches,  179,  180,  182 
New  Supplement    (to   Wesley's   Collection), 

New  Theology,  the,  and  its  Hymnody,  578 
New  Version  of  the  Psalms  of  David,  fitted 

to  the  tunes  used  in  churches  (Tate  and 

Brady) : 
its  allowance  and  reception,  48-50,  90 
its   influence   on   Hymnody,   50,    79,  81, 

341.  345-348 
Supplement    to,    with    hymns,    80,    341. 

346-348 
in  New  England,  165,  172,  I73,  174.  I75 
Wesley's  use  of,  224.  227 
in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  390, 

393.  394.  395 


in  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  402 

in  American  Baptist  Churches,  197 
New  York:  Brick  Church,  553 

Christ  Church  and  Trinity,  411 

Dutch  Reformed  Church,  402 

Finney  in,  376 

First  Baptist  Church,  201 

German  Lutheran  Church,  410,  412 

Methodist  meetings  in,  281 

Pratts'  Lamentation  over,  432 

Presbyterian  Church;  Psalmody  dispute, 
179;  bad  singing  of,  184,  185 

Public  Library,   116,  226;  Lenox  Collec- 
tion, 226 

Scotch  Church,  180 

Synod  of  (Luth.),  413,  414;   (Presbyn.), 
180 

Synod  of  N.  Y.  and  Philadelphia,   182, 
183,  187,  188.  189 

Trinity,  547 

Zion  (P.  E.),  414 

Zion's,  412 
New  York  Collection  (Luth.),  414,  416 
New  York  Observer,  476 
Ncwburyport,  166,  180,  360 
Newcastle,  Presbytery  of,  181 
Newell,  William,  468 
Newman,  A.  H.  {Hist,  of  Bapt.  churches), 

196 
Newman,  Cardinal,  464,  494,  496.  499.  514 

517,  518,  520 
Newman,  John,  89,  90 
Newport,  196 
Newton,  Mass.,  165,  166 
Newton,  James,  144 
Newton,    John,    336-340;    and    see    Olney 

Hymns 
Newton,  John  (Bull),  337 
Newton,  John,  Memoir  of  (Cecil),  345 
Nicholson,  Isaac,  323 
Nitschman,  David,  224 
Niven,  G.  T.,  542 
Noel,  Caroline  M.,  517 
Noel,  G.  T.,  353 
Nonconformist  Theology,  455 
Non-subscribing     Presbyterians,     130;     in 

Ireland,  133,  135 
"Non-Trinitariar  churches,"  174 
Norden,  John,  64 
Norris  of  Bemerton,  224,  227 
North  Carolina,  Psalmody  controversy  in, 

189,  190 
North  Family  (Shaker),  428 
North,  Frank  M.,  312 
North  Western  Hymn  Book,  484 
Northampton  (Mass.),  163,  358 
Notes  and  Queries,  66,  260,  261 
Noyes,  Charles  L.,  580 
Nunc  Dimittis,  27,  28,  34.  77 
Nutter,  Charles  S.,  302,  304 
Nyberg.  L.  T.,  273 
Nye,  Philip,  102,  103 


O'Bryan,  William,  279 

Oakeley,  E.,  518 

Oakeley,  Sir  H.,  528 

Oberlin,  557 

Observations  upon  Metrical  Versions  of  the 

Psalms,  356,  357 
Occom,  Samson,  202 
Odenheimer  and  Bird's  Songs  of  the  Spirit, 

159 
Office,  the  Divine  (Office  Hymns),  viii,  19, 

22,  23,  24,  37.  38,  39,  40.  41.  42.  44.  45. 

494.  495.  496.  497.  498.  499.  500,  504, 

S09,  511.  543 
Office  Hymn  Book,  513 
Offices  of  Worship  with  Hymns,  272 
Oglethorpe.  Governor,  223 


6i4 


INDEX 


Ohio,  Joint  Synod  of,  419 

O'Kelley,  James,  296 

Old  and  New,  423 

Old  Church  Psalmody  (Havergal),  513,  520 

Old  Granite  State,  429 

Old  Redstone,  191 

Old-Side  churches,  179,  182 

Old  South:  Boston,  165,   166;  Portsmouth, 

166 
Old  Version  (Sternhold  and  Hopkins'):  28, 
48,  SO,  54.  62,  340,  390;  its  appended 
hymns,  27-32,  84;  musical  settings  of, 
76,  77 
Oldknow,  Joseph,  500 
Oliver,  H.  K.,  471 
Olivers,  Thomas,  254 
Olney  Hymns,  v,  336,  337.  338,  339,  340, 

349.  372,  373,  376,  437 
Olney  revival,  337,  373 
Omnipresence  of  God,  436 
Onderdonk,  H.  U.,  399,  400 
One  and  fiftie  Psalmes  of  David,  28 
One  hundred  Gospel  Hymns,  149 
Oneida  Presbytery,  376 
Order  of  Worship  {Ger.  Refd.),  549 

(New  Church),  426 
Ordinal,  the,  40,  43 

Organs:    destruction    of    under    Common- 
wealth, 75;  Scottish,  486,  533;  Method- 
ist, 243;  Boston,  86,  173;  Philadelphia, 
i8s;  Gloucester,  Mass.,  421 
Origin  and  Annals  of  Old  South,  Newbury- 

port,  180 
Original  Hymns  (Leif child),  453 
Original  music  (Haweis),  325 
Original  Secession  Magazine,  35 
Origines  Liturgicae,  494 
Orthodox  Christian,  98 
Orton,  Job,  211 
Osbom,  George,  226,  227 
Osgood,  Samuel,  465,  467 
Osier,  Edward,  516 
Olterbein  Hymnal,  313 

Our  Hymns  and  their  Authors  (Tillett),  303 
Outlook,  the,  580 
Overton,  J.  H.,  315 
Oxford  Essays,  348 
Oxford  Hymn  Book,  64,  65,  569 
Oxford  Methodists  (Tyerman),  264,  266 
Oxford  Movement,  45,  444,  445,  447,  493, 

chap.  X 
Oxford  University  and  the  Wesleys,  222,  223 
Oxford  University  Press  Psalters,  347 


Padclford,  F.  M.,  20 

Palatinate  Liturgy,  548 

Palgrave,  F.  T.,  517 

Palmer,  George  H.,  570 

Palmer,  Ray,  379,  385,  544 

Palmer,  Sir  Roundell  (Lord  Selborne),  vii, 

69,  446 
Palmer,  Samuel,   132 
Palmer,  William,  494 
Fanoplisl.  the,  175 
Paraphrase    on    the    Psalms    of    David    in 

metre  (Baxter),  70,  84 
Paraphrase     upon     the    Psalms     of    David 

(Sandys),  48 
Paraphrases:  see  Translations  and 
Paraphrases  and  Hymns,  526 
Paraphrases  of  Prayer  Book    materials    in 
the  Psalters,  30;  of  Bible  songs,  etc., 
5Sff. 
Parish  Choir,  521 
Parish  Clerk,  51,  75,  342 
Parish  Hymn  Book,  513 
Parish  Hymnal  (Monsell),  513 

(Tucker),  546 
Parish  Hymns,  384,  386,  476 


Parish  Psalmody,  384,  385,  386 
Park,  Edwards  A.,  475 
Parker,  Archbishop,  47 
Parker,  Horatio,  547 
Parker,  James,  360 
Parker,  Jane  M.,  429 
Parker,  Noah,  421 
Parker,  Theodore,  464,  468 
Parkinson,  W.,  201,  202,  203 
Parks,  Stephen,  300 
Parlor  music  period,  557 
Parochial  Music  corrected,  344 
Parr,  H.,  520 

Particular  Baptists:  see  Baptists 
Passavant,  W.  A.,  418 
Pastor's  Selection,  477 
Partick,  John,  52,  55,  88,  89,  123 
Patrick,  Simon,  53,  87 
Patten,  Simon  N.,  586 
Paul,  St.,  85,  112,  242 
Pawlucket  Collection,  203 
Peabody.  A.  P.,  174,  175 
Peabody,  W.  B.  O.,  461,  468 
Peace,  A.  L.,  S35 
Pearson,  C.  B.,  348 
Pearson,  John,  Jr.,  430 
Peck,  J.  M.,  203 
Peirce,  James,  86,  130 
Penitential  Cries,  105 
Pennefather,  William,  519 
Penn  Monthly,  561 
Penney,  Norman,  95 
Pennsylvania  Gazette,  164 
Pennsylvania  Historical  Society,  185,  271 
Pennsylvania  Magazine  of  History,  197 
Pennsylvania,  Ministerium  of,  416,  560 
Penrose,  C.  W.,  433 

People's  Hymnal,  505,  514,  525:  (See  313) 
Pepys'  Diary,  75 
Perfection,  doctrine  of,  232 
Perkins  and  Purves,  384 
Perry,  William  S.,  390,  397 
Pestell,  T.,  68 

Peterborough,  Bishop  of,  354,  356 
Petition  for  Peace,  83 
Phelps,  Austin,  475 
Phelps,  W.  W.,  432 

Philadelphia:  Association,  197,  200,  362 
Baptisterion,  198 
Baptists  at,  197 
Christ  Church,  344,  390,  393 

First  Baptist  Church,  422 
Moody  at,  487 

Moravians,  271,  272 

Music  schools,  184,  185,  192 

Presbytery  of,  183 

Race  St.  Church,  410 

St.  Andrew's,  398 

St.  George's,  281 

St.  James  the  Less,  545 

St.  John's,  413 

St.  Paul's  organ,  185 

Second  New  Church,  426 

Second  Presbyterian,  182,  185 

Synod  of,  182 

Third  Presbyterian,  191,  193 

Unitarianism,   176 

Universal  Baptists  in,  199,  367 

Whitefield  at,  280,  358 

Zinzendorf  at,  271 
Philadelphia   Harmony,  193 
Philadelphia  Hymn  Book,  424 
Phillimore.  G.,  5x5 

Phillips,  Philip,  300,  301,  484,  485,  486 
Philos  Harmoniac,  428 
Philpot,  J.  C,  146.  331 
Pierpont,  John,  468 
Pietistic  Hymnody,  224,  225 
Piggin,  Henry,  27s 
Pilgrim  Fathers,  10 1 


INDEX 


615 


Pilgrim  Hymnal,  5S8.  580-583.  584 

Pilgrim  Songs  for  Sunday  schools,  580 

Pilgrim  Songster,  29S 

Pilgrim's  Song,  317 

Pindar,  114 

Pious  Communicant,  221  .       „ 

"Pious,  for  the,"  295;  "pious  moderation, 

453.  457 
Pious  Songs,  297 
Pirie,  Alexander.  150 
Pitman,  Charles,  297 
Plain  song,  see  Tunes,  dregonan 
Playford,  Henry,  78 
Plai-ford,  John,  75-78 
Plea  for  Christian  Hymns,  398 
Plumptre,  E.  H.,  70,  516 
Plymouth  Brethren,  507 
Plymouth  Church,  Brooklyn,  473.  474 
Plymouth  Church,  History  of,  474 
Plymouth    Collection,    268,    365.    474.    470, 

477,  478.  544.  558 
Plymouth  Hymnal,  482,  489,  5S8,  580 
Pocket  Hymn  Book  (Spence),  238,  287 

(Wesley,  1785).  238.  287.  288       _ 

(Wesley.  1787),  238.  287 

(American),  287,  288,  292 
Poems  (J.  D.  Carlyle),  435 
Poems  chiefly  religious  (Lyte),  444. 
Poems  of  Home  and  Country  (Smith),  305 
Poems  of  Thomas  H.  Stockton,  308 
Poems  on  sacred  subjects  (Marshall),  5i9 
Poems  on  sacred  subjects  (Toplady),  334 
Poems  on  subjects  chiefly  devotional  (Steele). 

213 
Poet  of  the  Sanctuary  (Conder),  89,  129 
Poetical  Fragments  (Baxter),  53.  70,  lOS 
Poetical  Hymn,  the;  see  Hymn 
Poetical  hymnal,  the;  see  Hymnal 
Poetical  Psalter,  46,  47,  444 
Poets  of  the  Church  (Hatfield),  553 
Polemical  Hymn,  the,   209,   232,   294.  323. 

Pollock,  T.  B.,  S17 

Pollok,  R.,  436 

Pontifical,  the,  37 

Pope,  Alexander,  221 

Pope,  Michael,  132 

Poplar  Tent,  189 

Portland,  202 

Portland  Collection,  481,  482 

Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  166 

Portus,  G.  v..  343 

Potts,  F.,  518  .        „ 

Practical  Discourses  of  Stngtng,  89.  i07,  108, 
109.  no 

Praise,  572,  589 

Praise  Services,  484 

Praise  Songs,  490 

Pratt,  Josiah,  506 

Pratt,  Parley  P.,  432,  433 

Pratt,  Waldo  S.,  489 

Pray,  Lewis  G.,  461.  468 

Prayer  after  the  Commandments,   29.  33. 
34.  77 

Prayer  before  Sermon,  29 

Prayer  Book:  see  Book  of  Common  Prayer; 
Canticles 
Absence  of  the  Office  Hymn,  37-45,  494 
hymns  within  its  covers,  348,  349 

Prayer  Book  Collection,  401 

Prayer  Book  System  of  worship: 

Psalmody  no  part  of  it,  26,  30,  83,  39i 
Otherwise  in  Prot.  Episc.  Church,  391 
Hymnody    introduced    independently   of 

it.    336,    340  ,  TT  J        *         .. 

Efforts  to  accommodate  Hymnody  to  it, 
351.  353.  354.  357..494f|. 
•Prayer  Meeting  and  Revival  Hymn  book,  309 
Prayers  and  Meditations  (Dr.  Johnson),  v 
Prayers  for  the  dead,  570 


Prentiss,  Elizabeth  P.,  557 
Preparation  for  Death,  234 
Preparation  to  the  Psalter,  47 
Presbyterian  (Philada.),  382,  383.  483 
Presbyterian  Alliance,  1892,  S4i 
Presbvlerian  and  Reformed  Reviexv,  542 
Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication,  554 
Presbyterian     Book     of     Praise    (Canada), 

Presbyterian  Church  in  Canada: 

1880-1897,  its  hymnals,  541,  543 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Ireland: 

1830-1895,  unauthorized  hymns,  539.  540 
1895-1898,  adopts  the  common  hymnal, 

541.  542 
non-subscribmg  Presbyterians,  133.  I35 
Presbyterian  Church  in  U.  S.  A.: 
1739-1827,  177-196 
as  Psalm  singers.  I77 
"Watts"  introduced  at  Great  Awaken- 
ing, 179 
opposition  and   controversy,    179-183. 

186-191 
1788,  Hymns  in  the  new  Directory,  191 
musical  movements,  184-186,  192-193 
"Barlow's  Watts"  predominates,   193. 

195 
relations   with  Connecticut  Congrega- 
tionalism, 167,  374         .     , 
share  in  the  Kentucky  revival,  291,  297 
1790-1832,   era  of  revival  hymn  books, 

1828-1857,  Era  of  "Psahns  and  Hymns," 
380-388 
Old  School,  382:  New  School,  383 
the  hymn  singing  of  the  '40s,  386 
1855,  movement  for  congregational  sing- 
ing, 473,  477-489 
1866-191S,   modem  influences,   551-557. 

Presbyterian  Church  in  U.  S.   (Southern), 

1866-1915.  479.  555 
Presbyterian  Hymnal  (Free),  53i.  S37.  541. 
542 

(Canada),  543 

(U.  S.  A.),  552-554  ,   „     , 

Hymnal,  the  (1866),  5Si;  (i895).  555 

(1911).  584 

(United),  527.  53i 
Presbyterian  Psalmodist,  383 
Presbyterians  (England): 

see  Puritans 

at  Westmanster  Assembly.  60,  102 

166 1  at  Savoy  Conference,  82 

1671-1708,      movement      to      introduce 
hymns,  83-90,  103,  104.  lOS  ,    .      . 

1 708-1 836  Era  of  Watts  and   Ananism, 
130,  131.  142        .      . 

1837-1915  Hymn  singing  era,  525-528 
Presbyterians     (Scotland):     see     Scotland. 
Church      of;       United       Presbj^erian 
Church;   Free  Church;   Relief  Church 
Prevost,  Sir  John,  495  „  , 

Price,  Carl  F.,  289,  299.  304:    Samuel.  113 
Priestly,  Joseph,  133.  i34.  I37.  I70 
Primer,    the:    Sarum,    38;    Marshall  s,    38; 
King's,    39,  41;    1553.    41.    42;    Eliza- 
beth's.  42;   1604.   43',   1615.   43;   1085. 
44;  1706,  44 
Primer,  or  Office  of  B.  V.  Mary  (1706),  44 
Primitive  Methodist  Hymn  Book,  277 
Primitive  Methodist  Hymnal,  278 
Primitive  Methodists,  275-278 
Prince  Thomas,  165  ^,  tt  11      <; 

Princeton:  bad  singing  at  Nassau  Hall,  Ib4 
Princeton  Review,  387 
Princeton  Theological  Review,  vii 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  vii,  x 
Private  Prayers  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  39 
Proby.  W.  H.  B.,  506 


6i6 


INDEX 


Proceedings  and  Debates:  Free  Church,  536 
Proceedings:    Massachusetts    Historical    So- 
ciety, 162,  163,  164 
Procter  and  Frere's  New  History  of  Book 

of  Common  Prayer,  41 
Promiscuous  Singing,  91 
Proper  tunes,  29 

Proposed  Book  (Prot.  Epis.),  390,  391.  548 
Prose  hymns,  viii 

Protestant  Church  Sonar,  ix,  19-24 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church: 

1786,     introduction     of     hymn    singing, 

390-396 
1789-1858,  the  Evangelical  period,  396- 

402 
1859-1915,  the  Hymns  ancient  and  mod- 
ern period,  544-548 
hymn-writers,  400 
social  service  hymns  in,  587 
Protestant  Methodists,  243,  278 
Proud,  Joseph,  426,  529 
Providence,  R.  I.,  196 
Prynne,  George  R.,  516 
Prynne,  William,  44 
Psalm:  see  Metrical  Psalm 
Psalm  for  New  England  (Watts),  162 
Psalm  Singer's  Assistant,  173 
Psalm-Versions,    Paraphrases    and   Hymns, 

536 
Psalmes  of  David  in  jneeter  (Boyd),  57 
Psalmist,  the,  364,  365 
Psalmodia  Germanica,  410,  411 
"Psalmody,"  24,  25 
Psalmody:  see  Metrical  Psalmody 
Psalmody,  the,  367 

Psalmody  of  the  Calvinistic  Reformation,  vii 
"Psalmody    Controversy"     (Presbyterian), 

186-191 
"Psalmody   of   the    Reformed    Churches," 

vii 
Psalms    adapted    to    the    public    worship    of 

the  Christian  Church  (Presbyn.),  381 
Psalms  and  Hymns  (Alford),  S18 
(E.  Bickersteth),  512 
(E.  H.  Bickersteth),  506 
(Cumberland),  556 
(German  Refd.),  409 
(Part.  Baptist),  452 
(Presbyn.,     1831),     195,    374,    381,    382, 

409 
(Presbyn.,    1843).    374.    382,    383.     386, 

388:  (So.  Presbvn.),  555 
(Refd.  Dutch),  407 
(Sartain),  323 
(Toplady),  323.  m 
(Venn),  350 
(Walker),  507 
Psalms  and  Hymns  adapted  to  the  Services 

(Hall),  500 
"Psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs" 

(St.  Paul),  23,  85 
Psalms   and   Hymns    and    Spiritual   Songs 
(Deck),  507 
(Robinson),  479.  554.  555 
Psalms    and    Hymns    collected    by    W.    B. 

Cadogan,  350 
Psalms   and   Hymns  for   the   chapel   of  the 

Asylum,  344 
Psalms  and  Hymns  for  Christian  use  and 

worship  (Conn.  Assn.),  389 
Psalms  and  Hymns  for  divine  worship  (Engl. 

Pres.),  526 
Psalms  and  Hymns  for  Marlborough   Col- 
lege, 445,  446 
Psalms    and    Hymns    for    New    Meeting, 
'igham,  134 
i  Hymns  fo    , 
social  worship  (Elliott),  519 
Psalms  and  Hymns  for  .    .    .   Rugby  School 
Chapel.  445 


Psalms  and  Hymns  in  solemn  music,  75 
Psalms   and   Hymns,   original   and   selected 

(Simpson),  500 
Psalms  and  Hymns  partly  original  (Russell), 

507 
Psalms  and  Hymns  selected  chiefly  for  public 

worship  (Evans),  146 
Psalms  and  Hymns  selected  for  the  Churches 

of  Buckden,  354,  357 
Psalms  and  Hymns,  the  greater  pari  original 

(Hum),  353 
Psalms  and  Hymns  with  the  catechism,  etc. 

(Refd.  Dutch),  405 
Psalms    carefully    suited    to    the    Christian 

worship  in  U.  S.  A.,  188 
Psalms,   Hymns   and  Anthems   (Foundling 

Hospital),  344 
Psalms,  Hymns  and  passages  of  Scripture 

(Leeds),  454 
Psalms,  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  (Camp- 
bell), 370,  371 
(Hammond),  273,  317 
(Scotch  Bapt.),  158 
(Universalist) ,  423 
(Prince  rev.),  165,  166 
Psalms  in  metre  selected  from  the  Psalms  of 

David  (Prot.  Episc),  401,  545 
"Psalms  in  worship,  the"  (Daggett),  167 
Psalms  of  David  (Cecil),  350 
Psalms  of  David  and  other  portions  of  the 

sacred  Scriptures  (Woodd),  351 
Psalms  of  David  imitated  (Watts),   53,  90, 

118-120 
Psalms    of    David   imitated,    etc.      A     ne7U 

edition  (D wight),  167 
Psalms  of  David  in  meeter  (1650),   36,  47, 
61,   86,   142,   526:  in  America   (known 
as    "Rous'    Version"),    17S,    179,    183, 
184,   188,  189,  190,  191,   193.  533 
Psalms  of  David  in  metre  fitted  to  the  tunes, 

etc.  (Patrick),  54 
Psalms  of  David  translated  into  lyric  verse 

(Wither),  47 
Psalms  of  David  versified  (Winchester),  422 
Psalms  of  David  with  Hymns  and  Spiritual 

Songs  (Ref.  Dutch),  404 
Psalms  of  David  with   the   Ten  Command- 
ments, etc.  (Ref.  Dutch),  402 
Psalms  of  King  David  translated  by  King 

James,  47 
Psalms    .    .     .    or  Hymns  founded  on  some 
important    passages   of  Holy  Scripture, 
156 
Psalter  and  Hymn*Book,  the  (Hamilton),  526 
Psalter,  the  (Keble),  444 
Psalters:  the  English  and  Scottish  Reforma- 
tion Psalters,  26-37;  Latin,  30 
Public  School  H>-mnody,  445 
Public  Worship  of  God  (Gibson),  533 
Public    Worship    of   Presbyterian    Scotland 

(McCrie),  33,  I54.  530,  532,  534 
Publication  of  Hymns,  326 
Punshon,  W.  M.,  255 

Puritans,  27,  47,  56,  74.  82,  83,   loi,   102, 
103.  161;  and  Prayer  Book  Canticles, 
31.  55.  56,  84 
Pusey,  E.  B.,  499 
Putnam,  A.  P.,  469 


Quakers;  see  Friends 
Quarles,  Francis,  66 
Quarterly  Review,  443 
Quarterly    Review    of   Methodist    Episcopal 

Church,  South,  299 
Quartet  and  Chorus  Choir,  479 
Quignon's  Breviary,  40,  41 
Quinn,  James,  297 
Quincy,  Mass.,  462 
Quitman,  F.  H.,  414 


INDEX 


617 


Rambles  about  Portsmouth,  166 

Randall,  B.,  366 

Rankin,  Adam  (Rankinites),  190 

Rankin,  J.,  535 

Rapin's  History  of  England,  315 

Rational  Illustration  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  56 

Ravenscroft,  Thomas,  56,  76 

Rawson,  George,  452 

Reasonableness  of  Regular  Singing,  161 

Records  of  the  Church  of  Christ  meeting  in 
Broadmead,  96,  97,  99 

Records  of  Presbyterian  Church,  178,  180, 
182,  183,  187,  189 

Redhead,  R.,  521 

Redstone  Presbytery,  191 

Reed,  Andrew,  128,  453 

Reed,  Daniel,  170 

Reed  and  Matheson's  Narrative  of  Visit 
to  the  American  Churches,  388 

Rees,  A.,  134 

Reform  of  Church  of  Scotland  (Lee),  533 

Reformation  breach  in  public  worship,  the, 
20 

Reformed  Church  Hymnal,  549 

Reformed  Church  in  America  (Demarest), 
404,  406 

Reformed  Church  in  Pennsylvania  (Dubbs), 
408 

Reformed  Church  in  U.  S.:  sec  German 
Reformed 

Reformed  Dutch  Church: 

1767,  first  English  Psalm  Book,  402 
1787-1868,  English  hymns  in,  403-408 
1S68-1891,  the  later  Hymnody,  550,  551 

Reformed  Episcopal  Church: 

England,  513;  United  States,  548 

Reformed  Liturgy  (Baxter's),  82,  84 

Reformed  Methodist  Church,  305 

Reformed  Methodist  Pocket  Hymn  Book,  305 

Regent  Square:  Church,  527,  528;  tune,  527 

Regular  Hymns  (Willard),  460 

Regular  Singing,  161,  162 

Reinagle,  A.  R.,  521 

Rejoice  Ever7nore,  158 

Relief  Church,  154,  155,  530,  531 

Religious  Monitor,  382 

Religious  Societies,  343 

"Religious  Musings"  (Coleridge),  435 

Reliquiae  Juveniles,  121 

Relly,  John,  32^ 

Relly,  James,  327,  421,  422,  423,  424 

Remnants  of  Time,  121 

Renderings  of  Church  Hymns,  505,  506 

Report  on  Congregational  Singing  (Luth.), 
418 

Report  of  Committee  on  Hymn  Book  (Meth.), 
304 

Repton  School,  44s 

Restoration  (1660):  parochial  Psalmody  re- 
stored, 75;  denominational  divisions, 
74;  attempts  at  hymn  writing,  68,  71; 
movement  toward  hymn  singing,  75, 
217 

Revelation,  the,  quoted,  319 

Review  and  Expositor,  429 

Review  of  a  pamphlet  entitled  "The  Church 
Paslmist,"  383,  38S,  386,  387 

Review  of  Rivulet  Controversy,  454 

Revised  Psalter  (Engl.  Pres.),  528 

Revised  Edition  of  Scottish  Metrical  Psalms, 
539 

Revision  of  Hymn  Book  of  Metliodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  287,  302 

Revival:  of  1800,  291,  292,  294,  296; 
Evangelical,  315;  Great  Awakening, 
q.  v.;  Lesser  Awakening,  372;  Method- 
ist, 228;  Moody  and  Sankey,  487; 
Olney,  337;  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  376 


Revival,  Era  of  (1790-1832),  372 

Revival    Hymn,  the,   248,    252,   337,  483; 

see  Camp  Meetings,  the  Gospel  Hymn; 

Nettleton's  judgment  of,  376;  Leavitt's, 

377;  Pratt's,  489 
Revival  Hymn  Book  (Weaver),  485 
Revolution  (1688),  85,  104 
Revolutionary    War,    169,    170,    185,    186, 

360,  372 
Reynolds,  Thomas,  89,  90 
Reynolds,  W.  M.,  417,  420 
Rhinehart,  W.  R.,  312 
Rhythm  of  Bernard,  502 
Rice,  Caroline  L.,  312 
Rich,  Mrs.,  240 
Richards,  C.  H.,  557.  583 
Richards,  George,  423,  424 
Richardson,  R.,  371 
Ridsdale,  C.  J.,  570 
Rigdon,  S.,  432 
Rigg,  J.  H.,  223 
Riley,  Athelstan,  569 
Riley,  William,  344 
Rimbault,  E.  F.,  523.  527 
Rinehart,  W.,  309 
Ripley,  T.  B.,  201 
Rippon,    John,    144,    145,    204,    259,    362, 

373,  424 
Rise  and  Progress  (Doddridge),  211 
Ritter,  A.,  271,  273 
Ritter,  F.  L.,  170,  378 
Rivingtons,  341,  346 
Rivulet,  the,  454,  579 
Rivulet  Controversy,  454,  579 
Robbins,  Chandler,  462,  465,  467,  468 
Robbins,  Samuel  D.,  468 
Robertson,  William,  153 
Robertson,  William,  537 
Robertson,  William  B.,  531 
Robinson,  Charles  S.,  478,  479,  553,  554 
Robinson,  J.  H.,  309:  John,  loi 
Robinson,  Thomas,  350 
Rockingham,  Lady,  324 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  477 
Rocky  Mountain  Saints,  432,  433 
Rogers,  J.,  371 
Romaine,  William,  126,  320,  329,  332,  342, 

350 
"Roman  Catholic  Hymns,"  47s;  and  see  577 
Romantic  Hymnal;  see  Hymnal 
Romantic  Movement,  45,  435!!. 
Romney,  343 
Root,  George  F.,  479,  484 
Rorison,  G.,  516 
Roscoe,  June,  140 
Roscoe,  William,  140 
Roscoe,  William  S.,  140 
Roscommon,  Earl  of,  227 
Ross,  Jas.  H.,  480,  483 
Ross,  W.,  433 
Rossall  School,  44s 
Rossetti,  Christina  G.,  568 
Rothwell,  104,  los,  106 
Rous's  Psalms,  57,  60 
"Rous's  Version,"   47,   178,   179.   183,    184. 

188,  189,  190,  191,  193.  533 
Rous-Watts  Controversy  in  America,  i865. 
Rousseau,  W.  W.,  547 
Row,  Walter,  333.  334 
Rowland,  L.  P.,  484 
Royal  Hymnal,  513 
Rugby  School,  445 
Rudiments  of  Music,  193 
Rule,  Britannia,  328 
Rupp,  D.,  305,  306 
Russell,  A.  T.,  507 
Russell,  Thomas,  128 
Rutherford  (tune),  527 
Ryland,  John,  215 
Ryle,  J.  C.  519 


6i8 


INDEX 


S.  p.  C.  K.,  prayer  books,  349;  hymnals, 
506,  S16,  517 

Sabbath  Hymn  [and  Tune]  Book,  365,  475, 
476,  477.  S44 

Sabbath  school:  see  Sunday  School 

Sabbath  school  and  social  Hymn  Book,  406 

Sacramental     Hymnody:     see     Baptismal, 
Communion;  Anglican,  498,  514,  570 

Sacramental  Hymns  (Boyse),  87,  100,  105 

Sacred  Hymns  (Wilson),  545 

Sacred  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs   (Mor- 
mon), 432 

Sacred  Hymns  and  Tunes  (Wesl.  Meth.),  310 

Sacred    Hymns   for    the    Children    of    God 
(Cennick),  316 

Sacred  Hymns  for  the  use  of  Religious  So- 
cieties (Cennick),  317 

Sacred    Hymns   from    the    German    (Cox), 
507 

Sacred  Hymns  on  various  subjects  (Murlin), 
254 

Sacred  Lyrics  (Beman),  384 
(Edmeston),  436 

Sacred  Melodies  for  social  worship,  301 

Sacred  Melody  (Wesley),  240,  241 

Sacred    Poetry    (Belknap),    174,    176,    214, 
396,  397,  411 
(Eddowis),  424 

Sacred  Poetry  and  Music  reconciled,  460 

Sacred  Poetry  selected  and  recommended,  371 

Sacred  Songs  (Moore),  435 

Sacred  Songs  and  Hymns  (Stewart),   154 
(Relief),  155,  156,  S30 

Sacred  Songs  and  Solos,  486 

Sacred  Songs  for  public  worship  (Savage), 
472 

Sacrifice  of  the  Heart,  312 

Sacrifice  of  Praise,  SS3 

St.  Alban  (tune),  553 

St.  Alban's,  Holborn,  504 

St.  Alban's  Tune  Book,  504 

St.  Andrews,  Presbytery  of,  534 

St.  Fulbert  (tune),  553 

St.  John,  A.  R.,  468 

St.  Leonard  (tune),  527 

S.  Margaret's  Hymnal,  502 

St.  Peter  (tune),  553 

Saint's  Harp,  410 

Saints'  Days,  hymns  for,  499,  510,  511,  568 

Saints,  Invocation  of,  570 

Saint's  Melody,  147,  335 

Saintsbury,  George,  lis 

Salem,  Mass.,  471 

Salisbury  Collection,  133,  174 

Salisbury  Hymnal,  509 

Salter's  Hall  controversy,  130 

Salvation  Army,  252,  485 

Salvation  Soldier's  Hymn  Book,  485 

Sandeman,  Robert,  326 

Sandemanians,  156,  326 

Sanders,  William,  276,  277 

Sandys,  George,  48 

Sankey,   Ira   D.,   485,   486,   487,   488,  490, 
491,  492 

Sarum  and  York  Primers,  38 

Sarum  Breviary,  39,  503,  504,  570 

Sarum  Hymnal,  68,  513 

Sarum  Primer,  38 

Sarum  use,  514 

Savage,  M.  J.,  472 

Savannah,  Ga.,  225 

Savoy  Conference,  82ff. 

Saylor,  J.  M.,  314 

Schafl.  Philip,  553 

Scheffler,  J.,  266 

Schelling,  Felix  E.,  v,  253 

Schmucker,  B.  M.,  560 

Schmucker,  S.  S.,  416 

Scholar's  Purgatory,  30 


School  Hymnal,  553 
School  of  Watts,  210,  145 
Schweinitz,  Edmund  de,  21 
Scotch  Irish  in  America,  178 
Scotland,  Church  of: 

as  Psalm  singers,   22,   25,   26 

Wedderbum  episode,  26 

1564-1649,  the  old  Psalter  and  its  hymns. 

32 
1644-1650,  the  new  Psalter,  56 
1689-1708,      movement     toward     para- 
phrases, 56 
1741-1781,  Translations  and  Paraphrases, 

147 
1811-1820,    agitation   for    enlarging    the 

Psalmody,  159 
1 845- 1 86 1,     renewal     of     agitation     for 

hymns,  531 
1861,  hymns  authorized,  532 
1866-1915,  the  new  Hymnody,  534,  535, 
.    541-543 
mfiuence    of    the     Moderate    party    on 

Hymnody,  153 
influence     of     the     liturgical     party     on 

Hymnody,  534,  540 
the  organ  question,  486,  533 
Scots  Old  Independents,  156 
Scott,  J.  W.,  294 
vScott,  Orange,  296 
Scott,  Thomas,  140 
Scott,  W.,  371 

Scott,  Sir  Walter,  435.  438,  439,  45i,  533 
Scottish  Baptists,  157 

Scottish      Congregationalists,      1755-1814, 
156,  157 
1849-1903,  459,  460 
Scottish  Hymnal,  535.  537,  538,  540,  542 
Scottish  hymn  writers,  537 
Scottish    Metrical    Psalter    of   A.    D.    1635 

(Livingston),  33,  36 
Scottish   Paraphrases     (Maclagan),    57,   58, 

59,  148.  151,  152,  154 
Scottish    Psalter    and    its    h>'mns    (1564), 

32-37:  Scottish  Psalter,  537 
Scottish  Secession,  153,  154 
Scripture:  as  the  authority  for  Congrega- 
tional Song,  23 
as  the  source  of  congregational  songs,  23 
Watts  raises  the  issue,  112 
"Scripture   Songs"    (Scotland),   57-59,   74, 

i47fE. 
Scudder,  M.  L.,  296 
Seagrave,  Artis,  423 
Seagrave,  Robert,  317 
Search,  the.  436 
Sears,  E.  H.,  468 
Seasonable  Thoughts  on  the  state  of  religion 

in  New  England,  164 
Secession,  Scottish,  153,  154 
Second  Advent  Band,  429 
Second    Collection    of  Hymns    (Moravian), 

264,  265 
Secular  tunes,  310,  327,  378,  379.  417 
Sedgwick,  Daniel,  vi,  260,  317.  3i9,  324 
Seekers,  the,  293 
Seiss,  J.  A.,  418 
Selborne,  Lord,  vii,  69,  446 
Select  Collection  of  Hymns  to  be  universally 
sung     in     Countess     of    Huntingdon's 
Chapels,  322,  323.  324 
Select  Collection  of  ?iew  and  original  Spiritual 

Songs  (Barclay),  158 
Select  Hymns  (Wesley),  236,  240,  286 

(Worcester),  374 
Select  Hymns,   adapted  to  Baptist   denomi- 
nation, 363 
Select  Hymns  from  Mr.  Herbert,  66,  105 
Select  metrical   Psalms  (I'rot.   Episc),   545 
Select  Poetry,  chiefly  devotional,  64 
Select  portions  of  Psalms  and  Hymns,  353 


INDEX 


619 


Select  Psalms  and  Hymns  (Simpson),  33s 

Select  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  Mr.  Ad- 
gale's  pupils,  193 

Selection  of  evangelical  Hymns  supplemen- 
tary to  Rip  pan,  201 

Selection  of  Hymns  (Francis),  146 

Selection  of  Hymns  accommodated  to  the 
service  (Biddulph),  352 

Selection  of  Hymns  adapted  for  divine  wor- 
ship (Anderson),  146 

Selection  of  Hymns  adapted  to  the  devotions, 
etc.  (Alexander),  382 

Selection  of  Hymns  adapted  to  public  wor- 
ship (Glassite),  156 

Selection  of  Hymns  and  Poems  (McNemar), 
428 

Selection  of  Hymns  and  Psalms  (Dodge),  201 

Selection  of  Hymns  and  Psalms  for  social 
and  private  worship  (Dabney),  177 

Selection  of  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs 
(Parkinson),  201,  202,  203 

Selection  of  Hymns  by  Sir  Edward  Denny, 
S07 

Selection  of  Hymns  designed  as  a  Supple- 
ment (Boardman),  544 

Selection  of  Hymns  for  Baptist  congrega- 
tions, 146,  452 

Selection  of  Hymns  for  Christian   Worship 
(Thorn),  449 

Selection  of  Hymns  for  conference  and 
prayer  meetings  (Ripley),  201 

Selection  of  Hymns  for   public  and   private 
worship  (Ger.  Refd.),  549 
(Wallace),  137 

Selection    of    Hymns    for     public    worship 
(Alexander),  459 
(Gadsby),  146,  147 
(Wardlaw),  157 

Selection  of  Hymns  for  social  religious  meet- 
ings (Henshaw),  398,  401 

Selection  of  Hymns  for  use  of  Protestant 
dissenting  congregations  in  Leeds,  128 

Selection  of  Hymns  for  worship  (Stilwell), 
306 

Selection  of  Hymn  from  best  authors  (Rip- 
pon),  144,  14s,  204,  259.  362,  373,  424 

Selection    of   Hymns  from    various    authors 
(Dunker),  368 
(Meth.),  289 

Selection  of  Hymns  of  peculiar  metre  (Jay), 
128 

Selection  of  more  than  three  hundred  Hymns 
(Winchell),  204,  362,  363 

Selection  of  Psaltns  (Dodsworth),  500 

Selection  of  Psalms  for  social  worship 
(Cappe),  134 

Selection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  (Carpenter), 
135 
(House),  13s 
(Kcmble),  506 
(Milman),  443 
(Stowell),  S18 

Selection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  from  New 
Version  and  others  (Noel),  353 

Selection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  public 
and  private  use  (Cottcrill),  353;  8th 
ed.,  355.  356 

Selection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  Christian 
Worship  (Greenwood),  461,  463 

Selection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  public 
worship  (1820),  355 

Selection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  Uni- 
tarian worship  (Aspland),  135 

Selection  of  Psalms  attd  Hymns  .  .  .  of 
Philadelphian  Association,  200 

Selection  of  sacred  Harmony,  192 

Selection  of  sacred  Poetry  (Eddowes),  176 

Selection  of  Spiritual  Songs  (Robinson),  554 

Selections  from  the  ■  Psalms  of  David  in 
tnetre  with  Hymns  (Prot.  Episc),  401 


Sentimental  note,  the,  214 

Separatists;  their  attitudes  toward  congre- 
gational singing,  91 

Sequences,  502 

Sermons  and  Devotions  (Pestell),  68 

Sermon  at  I  nslallalion  of  John  Todd,  181 

Sermons  (Buist),  194 
(Watts),  121 

Service  and  worship,  587,  S89.  590 

Service  Book  (Andrews),  402 

Services  of  Song,  484 

Seventh-day  Advent  Hymn  and  Tune  Book, 
430 

Seventh-day  Adventists,  430 

Seventh-day  Baptists,  100 

Sewall.  Frank,  563,  564 

Sewall,  H.  F.,  176,  177 

Shairp,  Principal,  537 

Shaker  Music,  428 

Shakers,  the,  427,  428 

Shakespeare,  450 

Sheffield,  355 

Shelley,  P.  B.,  43S.  436,  450 

Shepard,  S.  E.,  371 

Shepherd,  Thomas,  88,  105 

Sherburne  School,  445 

Sherman,  D.,  284 

Shipley,  Orby,  44 

Shirley,  Walter,  322,  323 

Short  History  of  the  English  People,  256 

Short  Hymns  on  select  Passages  (C.  Wesley), 
235 

Short  Introduction  to  Music  (Wesley),  242 

Shorter  Elizabethan  Poems,  65 

Shrewsbury,  Mass.,  166 

Shuey,  W.  A.,  312,  313 

Sidney,  Sir  Philip,  and  Sister,  47 

Sigourney,  Lydia  H.,  363,  38s 

Silent  Long,  455 

Silex  sciniillans  (Vaughan),  67 

Simeon,  Charles,  352,  355 

Simeon.  Charles,  Life  of,  352,  355 

Simeon  Trust,  352 

Simpson,  David,  335 

Simpson,  J.  Holt,  500 

Sinclair,  Sir  William,  157 

Singers,  242 

Singers  and  Songs  of  the  Church,  317,  321. 
453 

Singers  and  Songs  of  the  Liberal  Faith,  469 

Singing,  sec  Congregational  Singing 

Singing,  Controversic  of,  91-103,  107,  161, 
196 

Singing  Master's  Assistant,  169 

Singing  Men  and  Women,  243 

Singing  of  Psalms  a  Gospel  Ordinance,  102 

Singing  Psalms,  the,  341,  342,  390,  392 

Singing  Schools  and  classes,  170,  192,  193, 
242,  378,  406 

Sion's  Harmony  of  Praise,  145 

Sion's  Melody,  146 

Sion's  Songs  (Berridge),  331 

Six  Centuries  of  select  Hymns,  61,  105 

Skeats,  H.  S.,  130 

Sketches  of  North  Carolina,  189 

Sketches  of  Virginia.  181,  189 

Small  Hymn  Book  (Prim.  Meth.),  276,  27V 

Smart,  Henry,  527,  S3i 

Smith,  Elias,  296,  366 

Smith,  Elias,  Life  of,  by  Himself,  296 

Smith,  Emma,  431 

Smith,  H.  W.,  393 

Smith,  I.  Gregory,  517 

Smith,  Sir  J.  E.,  140 

Smith,  Joseph,  191 

Smith,  Joseph,  "The  Seer,"  431 

Smith,  Joshua,  202,  204 

Smith,  Samuel  F.,  364.  3^5.  379.  417 

Smith,  William,  390,  391.  392,  393,  394,  .595 

Smith,  William,  Life  of  (Smith),  393 


620 


INDEX 


Smyth,  John,  91,  loi 
Smythan,  George  H.,  516 
Snepp,  Charles  B.,  513 
Social  and  Camp  Meeting  Songs,  295 
Social  democracy,  the  Hymnody  of,  584ff. 
Social  Hymn  and  Tune  Book,  385 
Social  Hymn  Book  (Robbins),  462,  465 
"Social"  hymn  books,  294,  299,  300 
"Social"  [the  new]  Hymnody,  492,  587 
Social  Hymns  of  Brotherhood  and  Service, 

S86.  S87 
Social  Psalmist,  384 
Social  Service,  the  Hymnody  of,  582,  585, 

S86,  587 
Society  for  promoting  Church  music,  520 
Soldier's  Hymn  Book,  483 
Soldier's  Pocket  Book,  483 
Solitary  Hours  (Southey),  436 
Solomon's  Temple  spiritualized,  98 
Some  other  Hymns  and  Poems  (Mor.).  264 
Some  Principles  of  Hymn  Singing,  448 
Some  Scriptural  Hymns  (Forbes),  149 
Some   Thoughts  concerning   the   present   Re- 
vival, 164 
Sommers  and  Daggs  edition  of   Watts  and 

Rippon,  204 
Song  books,  Elizabethan,  65 
Song  of  Solomon,  paraphrased,  55,  71 
Song  of  Moses,  34 

Song  Pilgrimage  around  the  World,  485,  486 
Songs  and  Hymns  of  Earliest  Creek  Poets,  505 
Songs  by  the  way  (Doane),  400 
Songs  controversial,  579 
Songs  for  the  new  Life,  474 
Songs  for  the  Sanctuary  (Robinson),  302,  479 
Songs  of  Canaan,  296 

Songs  of  the  Christian  Life  (Richards),  583 
Songs  of  Christian  Praise  (Richards),  557 
Songs  of  the  Church  (Robinson),  478 
Songs  of  Grace  and  Glory,  513 
Songs  of  the  Spirit,  iS9 
Songs  of  S yon  (Woodward),  570 
Songs  of  Zion  (Haverhill),  296 

(Summers),  299 

(Montgomery),  436 
Sonneck,  O.   G.,   170,   184,   185.   192 
Sotheby's,  116 
Southampton,  113 
Southey,  Caroline  Bowles,  436 
Southey,   Robert,   267,  436,  438,  439 
Southwell,  Robert,  64 
Southwestern  Psalmist,  36s 
Spaeth,  A.,  560 
Spangenberg,  A.  G.,  264,  271 
Spayth,  H.  C,  312,  313 
Special  Report  to  General  Assembly,  385 
Spectator  (Addison's),  152,  210,  394 
Spectator  (London),  450,  569 
Spence,  R.,  238,   287 
Spencer,  Mass.,  165 
Spicer,  Mr.,  192,  193 
Spirit  of  XIX  Century.  383 
Spirit  of  the  Psalms,  i^^^i^ 
Spiritual  Melody  (Keach),  100 
"Spiritual  Songs,"  201,  202,  203,  298,  362 
Spirittial  Songs  (Hastings  and  Mason),  379. 
477 

(J.  Mason),  71,  105:  (Ryle),  519 

(Symson),  58,  59 
Spiritual  Songs  for  Church  and  Choir,  556 
Sprague,  Charles,  468 
Sprague,  William  B.,  177 
Springfield  Collection,  461,  463 
Sproat,  James,  183 
Sprott,  G.  W.,  35,  532 
Spurgeon,  Charles  H.,  14s,  452 
Stanford,  John,  200 
Stanley,  Dean.  447 
Staughton,  WilUam,  201 
Stebbins,  George  C,  487,  490 


Steele,  Anne,  144,  213,  214,  375,  397,  519 

Steele,  Anne,  Works  of,  214 

Steele,  Robert,  55 

Steiner,  Melchior,  281 

Stenhouse,  T.  B.  H.,  432,  433 

Stennett,  Joseph,  89,  100,  loi,  144,  206 

Stennett,  Samuel,  21s 

Stephenson,  T.  B.,  25s 

Steps  to  the  Temple,  67 

Stemhold  and  Hopkins;  see  Old  Version 

Stevens,  Abel,  282,  284,  294,  295,  296,  298 

Stevens,  John,  146 

Stevenson,  George  J.,  221,  237,  278 

Stevenson,  W.  Fleming,  540 

Steuart,  James,  154,  155 

Steward,  Joseph,  168 

Stewart,  James  T.,  312 

Stewart,  Sir  R.  P.,  539 

Stilwell,  W.  M.,  306 

Stockton,  John  H.,  312 

Stock-ton,  T.  H.,  308,  309 

Stone,  Barton  W.,  296,  370,  371 

Stone,  Barton  W.,  Biography  of,  371 

Stone  Lectures,  vii 

Stone,  Samuel  J.,  516 

Story  of  the  Carol,  20 

Story  of  the  Gospel  Hymns,  487 

Story  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  92 

Stoughton,  John,  212 

Stow,  Baron,  364 

Stowe,  Harriet  B.,  464 

Stowell,  Hugh,  5 18 

Stowell,  Thomas  A.,  519 

Strassburg,  31 

Stratton,  Lovie  R.,  312 

Strebeck,  George,  412,  413 

Streeter,  S.  and  R.,  425 

Stretton,  Henry,  500 

Strictures  on  Hymns  ancient  and  modern,  SIO 

Strong,  Nathan,  167,  373,  374,  375 

Stroud,  William,  76 

Struthers,  G.,  156 

Stryker,  M.  W.,  557 

Studies  in  Worship  Music,  90,  103,  152,  243, 
273.  456,  486,  488,  529 

Studies  of  Familiar  Hymns,  365 

Sullivan,  Sir  Arthur,  506 

Summary  View  of  Millenial  Church,  427 

Summers,  Thomas  O.,  299,  311 

Sumner,  Samuel  B.,  468 

Sunday  School:  see  Children's  Hymns:  de. 
velopment  of  the  lighter  type  of  S.  S. 
Hymnody,  484,  491;  the  song  books, 
484;  in  England,  485;  in  Ireland,  the 
schools  carry  hymn  singing  into  the 
churches,  539;  their  part  in  the  lit- 
urgical development,  34s 

Sunday  school  Hymn  Book  (Pray),  461 

Sunday  School  Union,  483 

Sunday  Service,  the  (Wesley),  236,  238, 
282,  283,  284,  286,  288 

Sunday,  William  A.,  491 

Supplement  (Reed),  128 

Supplement  of  Hymns  (New  Church),  529 

Supplement  to  Methodist  Collection  (1831), 

235.  27s 
Supplement  to  the  New  Version  of  Psalms, 
51,   80,   239,   341,   343,  345,   346,   390, 
393.  394 
Supplement  to  the  Psalmist,  365 
Supplemental  Hymns  (Allon),  456,  525 
Siirsum  Corda,  559.  580 
Survey,  the,  586 
Swain,  Joseph,  215 
Swan,  Timothy,  170 
Swedenborg,  426 

Swedenborgian  Hymnody;  see  New  Church 
Sweet  Singer  of  Israel,  297 
Swertner,  John,  270,  273 
Swiss  Psalmody,  46,  55 


INDEX 


621 


Symmes,  Thomas,  161 
Symonds,  J.  A.,  583 
Symson,  Patrick,  $&•  59,  oO 

T 

Tabernacle  Collection,  IS7 

Tans'ur,  William,  169 

Tappan,  William  B.,  376  . 

Tate  and  Brady:  see  New  Version 

Tate,  Nahum,  48.  206:  see  New  Version 

Tauler,  J.,  223 

Taunton,  161 

Taylor,  Ann  and  Jane,  430 

Taylor,  Caleb  J.,  29S 

Taylor,  Emily,  140 

Taylor,  James,  176 

Taylor,  Jeremy,  68 

Taylor,  John,  140 

Taylor,  John  (Mormon),  432,  433 

Taylor,  John  J.,  140 

Taylor,  William,  322 

Te  Deum,  viii,  28,  36,  77.  86,  S3i 

Telford,  John,   220,  230,  231,   235,  237.  240 

Temple,  the  (London),  75 

Temple,  the  (Herbert),  67 

Temple  Church  Hymn  Book,  513 

Temple  Melodies,  473 

Tennent,  Gilbert,  164,  182 

Tennessee,  Lutheran  Synod  ot,  415 

Tennyson,  Lord,  64,  568 

Terrill,  Edward,  96,  99 

Thanksgiving  after  the  Lord  s  Supper,  29, 

31,  34.  84       ,  ,, 

Theistic,  Hymnody,  4S0,  460 
Theodosia,  213  ,r^      ■  n    ,r«-. 

Thesaurus  Hymnologicus  (Daniel),  S02 
Thom,  John  H.,  449.  450 
Thomas,  Abel  C,  42S 
Thompson,  A.  R.,  550 
Thompson,  John  B.,  406,  5S0 
Thompson,  N.  L.,  474  ,  „ 

Thought  of  God  in  Hymns  and  Foems,  4/2 
Thoughts  on  proposed  alterations,  399 
Thoughts   on   singing    of   Psalms    and   An- 
thems, 396 
Thring,  G.,  446,  447,  5i7 
Tillett,  W.  F..  303,  304  ^   „      .   ,     „.  , 
Tindal's  Continuation  of  Raptn  s  History, 

Tinkering:  see  Hymn  Tinkering 

Todd,  H.  J..  3S6,  357 

Todd,  John,  181 

Toke,  Emma,  51S 

Toleration  Act,  320 

Tomkins,  Martin,  131 

Toplady,  Augustus  M.,  247.  2SS.  323.  332, 

Toplldy',  Augustus  M.  (Wright),  331.  568 
Tourje'e,  Eben,  309,  484 
Towgood,  M.,  132 
Towle,  E.  A.,  501 
Towner,  487 
Townsend,  J.  W.,  237 
Tractate  on  Music,  86 
Tracts  for  the  Times,  494.  498,  SI4.  548 
Traheme,  Thomas,  66 
Translations  and   Paraphrases:    i745,    i4» 
1781,  151,  147-154.  160,  216,  531,  533 

Treasury  of  American  Sacred  Song,  4S8 

Treatise  on  Baptism,  98 

Tribute  of  Praise,  309 

Trochaic  metres,  7,  39.  254 

Tropes  and  Figures,  98 

True  Psalmody,  the,  383 

True  Story  of  John  Smyth,  91 

Trueman,  D.,  309 

Truth  soberly  defended,  98,  99 

Truth's  Defence  against  the  Serpent,  95 

Tucker,  J.  I.,  546,  547 


Tucker,  W.  J.,  557 

Tunes:  Anglican,  521,  522,  523,  524 

Billings',  169 

Camp-meeting,  293.  294 

choir,  387,  407,  471.  479.  547 

common,  184 

devil's,  294 

Dykes',  521  ,      ^ 

in  English  Hymnal,  569 

florid,  239,  240,  330.  373 

"fuguing,"  170.  171.  239.  344 

Genevan,  448 

German  (chorales),  22,  239.  270,  273.  56o 

Gregorian,  39,  503,  504.  52i.  569 

of  Hymns  ancient  and  modern,  521-524. 

553 

"Lancashire  hornpipes,     239 

Mason  (Lowell),  type  of,  378 

Monk's,  521 

Moody  and  Sankey,  486,  487,  49i 

Music  Hall,  298,  487 

New  Version,  80,  239 

"old  Methodist,"  240 

Old  Version,  75,  76,  239,  520 

parlor  music,  387,  557,  573 

printed  in  the  hymn  book,  21,  471,  477, 
508 

proper,  29  „  ,  ,  „     ^ 

in  Presbyterian  Hymnal  (1874),  5S3      . 

in  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  divine  worship, 
527 

with  Refrains,  484 

Secular,  240,  310.  327.  377,  378,  379,  4I7 

Shaker,  428 

Spirituals  (Negro),  294.  307 

Sunday  school,  484 

Wesley's  view  of,  239  .   ^      a 

Tumes  in  three  parts  (Philada.,  1763),  184 
Tunkers:  see  Dunkers 
Turner,  D.,  144,  213 
Turner,  E.,  424 
Turner,  H.  M.,  306 
Tuttiett,  L.,  516 

Twells,  H.,  516  c-  I  •    , 

Twenty-six  Letters  on  Reltgtous  Subjects,  337 
Two  Bookes  of  Ayres,  65 
Two  Centuries  of  select  Hymns,  61,  71,  77 

Tyerman,  L.,  221,  222,  232,  264,  266,  269, 

316,  317.319,  359 
Tyng,  Dudley  A.,  401 
Tyng,  Stephen  H.,  401 

U 

Ulster,  539 
Underwoods,  64 

Uniformity  Acts,  103,  126,  354 
"Union."  483  , 

Union  Collection  of  Hymns,  436,  45 1 
Union  Prayer  Meeting  Hymns,  483 
Unitarians:  England:  1719-1837,  Rise  of  a 
Unitarian  Hymnody,  88,  130-142 
1840-1876,  the  Martmeau  period,  449- 
451 
Ireland:  133.  I3S  „        ,,    ,  •    , 

United  States:  17S3-1823,  Eariy  period, 
172-177  .    J      , 

1830-1864,  Literary  period,  460-470 
1861-1894,  the  theistic  trend,  470-473 
1914,  recent  Hymnody,  578 
Hymn  Writers:  English,  139-141 
American,  468-470 
Unitas  Fratrum,  21,  262,  269 
United  Brethren:  see  Moravians 
United    Brethren    in    Christ;     1826-1890, 

United  Methodist  Church,  279 
United  Methodist  Free  Churches,  278 
United  Presbyterian  Church  (Scot.),    iS4. 
530 


622 


INDEX 


United  Presbyterian  Magazine,  542 
United  Secession  Church,  530 
Unity  Hymns,  472 
Universal  Baptists,  199,  367 
Universal  Redemption,  hymn  on,   232 
V niversalism  in  America,  423,  424 
Universalism    in    Gloucester,     Mass.,    421, 

424 
Universalist's  Hymn  Book  (London),  422 

(Boston),  424 
Universalists:  England,  327,  422 

United   States:     1776-1849,   the    Earlier 
period,  327,  421-425 
1846-1895.  the  later  period,  481,  482 
University  Hymn  Book,  134 
Uppingham  School,  445 
Upton,  George  P.,  170 
Upton,  James,  146 
Urania,  184 
Uranian  Academy,  192 
Uranian  Instructions,  193 
Urban  Vlllth's  Breviary,  496 
Utah,  432 


Vacant  Chair  and  other  Poems,  365 

Vail,  Silas  J..  484 

Van  Alstyne,   Mrs.   (Fanny  Crosby),  312 

487.  559 
Van  Home,  D.,  410 
Varden,  J.,  309 

Vaughan,  Henry,  66,  67:  C.  J.,  44S 
Vaux,  J.  E.,  514 
Venite,  28,  29,  36 
Venn.  John,  320,  352 
Vermilye,  A.  G.,  550 
Vernacular  hymns,  20,  21 
Version  of  the  Book  of  Psalms  (Charleston), 

193 
Very,  Jones,  464,  468 
Vespers,  hymns  at,  43 
Vestry  Harmonies,  481 
Village  Hymns,  366,  375,  376,  386 
Vincent,  John  H.,  485 
V indication  of  the  Dissenters,  86 
Vine,  A.  H.,  25s 
Virgin,    hymns    to    the,    19,    38,    44,    499. 

510,  570 
Virginia,  181,  189.  203 
Virginia  Selection,  203 
Vocal  Melody  (Isaac),  243 
Voice  of  Praise,  309 

W 

Waddington,  J.,  103 

Waite,  J.  J.,  522 

Wales.  196,  232,  324 

Walker,  Edward,  507 

Walker,  George,  134,  140 

Walker,  George  L.,  374 

Walker,  Williston,  326 

Wallace,  J.  C,  139 

Wallace,  Robert.  137 

Waller,  Life  of,  440 

Wallin.  Benjamin,  213 

Wallis,  James,  189 

Walpole,  Horace,  Letters  of,  324 

Walter,  Thomas,  161 

Walton's  Lives,  64 

Walworth  Hymns,  215 

War  with  the  Powers  of  Darkness,  100 

Ward,  A.  H.,  166 

Ward,  J.  H.,  393 

Ward.  W.  C,  44 

Wardlaw,  Ralph,  157 

Wardlaw,  Ralph,  Memoirs  of,  157 

Ware,  Henry  jr.,  141,  17S.  468 

Waring,  Anna  L.,  519 


Warren,  Samuel,  278 

Warren,  William  P.,  312 

Warton's  History  of  English  Poetry,  SS 

Washburn,  H.  S.,  365 

Washburn,  I.  jr.,  482 

Washington,  George,  423 

Waters,  Horace,  484 

Waterston,  R.  C,  461,  468 

Watervliet,  427 

Watson,  John,  269 

Watts,  Enoch.  106,  113 

Watts,  Isaac:  personality,  108,  206 

youthful  hymn  writing,   108,  113 

Horae  Lyricae  (1706),  114 

on  current  psalm  singing,  107 

attack  on  Scriptural  Psalmody,  109,  iii, 
217 

proposed  substitute,  no,   118,   120,   121, 
205,  207.  217 

1.  Christianized  psalms,  53,   in,   120, 
206 

2.  Evangelical  hymns,  112 
argument  for  hymns,  112 

Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  (1707),  63, 
71,  72,  89,  90,  IIS.  118 
rarity  of  first  Edition,  116 
copyright,  118 

reception  of,   122,   123,   130,   143,  219 
changes  of   text,    116,    117,    128,    131, 

132 
American  reprints,  162 
"Essay     toward     the     Improvement     of 

Psalmody,"  116,  117 
Divitie  Songs  (1715).  120,  121 
Psalms  of  David  imitated  (1719),  118,  119 
character  of,  in,  119,  120 
reception  of,  90,  123 
American  reprints,  162 
Accommodated  to  America,  166,  186 
Barlow's  rescension  of,  167 
Dwight's  rescension  of,  167 
Sermons  (1721-1727),  121 
Reliquiae  Juveniles  (i734).  121 
Remnants  of  Time,  121 
Works  of,  117 
Posthumous  Works  of,  122 
Dr.    Watts's    Fourth    Book    of   Spiritual 

Hymns,  121,  128 
Watts's  Psalms  and  Hymns,  121,  124.  125 
Uobell's   Edition,    121,    128;   Burder's, 

127;  Williams',  128;  Rippon's,  204 
American  reprints,  163;  Winchell's 
Watts,  204;  Worcester's,  168;  re- 
prints of  Rippon's,  204 
their  use,  and  influence  on  hymn 
singing  (216) 

In  England,  among  Independents, 
122-130 

Presbyterians,  130 
Arians,  130 

Particular  Baptists,  143 
Scotland,  147,  148 
America,    among    Congregational- 
ists,  162-166 

Presbyterians,  177-196 
Baptists,  198,  199,  204 
"Watts  Entire."  129.   168,  176,  362.  364 
"Watts  and  select."  168.  475 
"Supplements  to  Watts,"   124,   126-129, 

144,  168,  201,  204,  211 
"Watts'  Whims,"  126 
Waning  of  his  influence,  129,  458 
His  hymns:  precedents,   70-72,  87,   in, 
121,  205,  206 
form,  metres  and  style,  207,  208 
doctrine,  209 

as  related  to  poetry,  114,  115 
as  a  new  type,  207-216 
as  a  model  for  imitators,  211-216 
as  sermon  illustrations,  143,  208 


INDEX 


623 


His  Estimate  of  his  own  work,  120 
change  of  theological  views,  118,  131, 
132 

lack  of  sympathy  with  evangelism,  213 
work    compared    with    the    Wesleys' 

256-258 
name  in  the  Dunciad,  221 
Watts,  Isaac:  Life,  Times  and  Correspond- 
ence of  (Milner),  106,  113.  123.   132 
Watts,  Isaac:  his  life  and  im-itings  (Hood), 

115 
Watts,  Isaac,  Memoirs  of  (Gibbons),   ii3i 

122,  124 
Watts,  Isaac,  and  Doddridge,   Philip,   Me^ 

moirs  of  (Belknap),  132 
[Watts,   Isaac]    The  Poet  of  the  Sanctuary 

(Conder),  89,  129 
Weaver,  Richard,  485 
Webb,  Benjamin,  514 
Wedderbums,  the,  26,  33 
Wedderburns  and  their  Work,  26 
Welcome,  the,  564 
Wellington  School,  445,  446 
Welsh  Baptists,  196 
Welsh  Calvinistic  Methodists,  232,  324 
Welsh  Tract,  197 
Wesley,  Charles:  his  birth,  220 
his  training,  220,  252 
at  Oxford,  222  (Holy  Club) 
conversion,  228 
in  Georgia,  223 
high  church  period,  223,  226 
Evangelistic  labors,  228,  230 
his  diary,  229 

a  churchman  to  the  end,  245,  251 
as  devotional  poet,  253 
as   poet   of    Methodism,    220,    226,    228, 

230,  234 
as  hymn  writer,  235,  24s 
his  hymns:  first  hymns,  220,  229 
their  number,  235,  245,  246 
their  metres,  254 
their  autobiographical  character,  248, 

250 
their  revision  by  John,  247 
their    relation    to    the    Hymn    of    Ex- 
perience, 248 
their  publication  as  a  whole,  246 
Moravian  influence  on,  268 
his  independent  publications,  234 
his  poetry  not  appreciated,  257 
his  memory  neglected,  24s,  259 
his  influence  on  hymn  writing,  254 
Wesley,  Charles,  as  seen  in  his  less  familiar 

poetry  (Bird),  253 
Wesley,    Charles,    Life   of   (Jackson),    222, 

223,  235,  245,  268 
Wesley,    Charles,    Life    of    (Telford),    220, 

235,  240 
Wesley,  Charles,  jr.,  325 
Wesley,  Emilia,  221 
Wesley  Family,  Memorials  of  (Stevenson), 

221 
Wesley,  John:  his  birth,  220 
his  training,  220,  252 
at  Oxford  (Holy  Club),  222 
Conversion,  228 
mystical  period,  223,  229 
high  church  period,  223,  226 
in  Georgia,  211,  223 
introduces  hymn  singing,  225,  228 
a  student  of  hymns,  225 
revision  of  his  brother's,  247 
the  leader  in  Methodist  Hymnody,  220, 

239 
ridicules  parochial  psalmody,  222 
admires  Dr.  Watts,  211,  223,  226,  227 
meets  the  Moravians,  224 
as  translator  of  German  hymns,  246 
as  a  churchman,  251 


his  first  hymn  book  (i737),  220,  226 

his  second  hymn  book  (1738),  227 

his  Moravian  period,  227,  228,  263 

his  sacramental  views,  234,  251 

his  theology  232,  244,  248 

his  sermons,  224,  244 

his  hymn  books,  235-238 

his  musical  books,  239,  240 

as  Editor,  247 

as  music  master,  239,  241,  242 

his  famous  preface,  231,  236,  247,  253,  319 

his  liturgical  tastes,  251 

as  founder  of  Methodist  Church,  244 

his  new  standard  of  Hymnody,  252 

on  hymn  tinkering,  247 

and  Whitefield,  228,  232,  315,  318,  358 

and  the  Moravians,  227,  228,  263,  267 

effect  of  his  death,  274 

Wesley,   John,   Journal   of,    223,    224,   225, 
226,  227,  231,  241,  256,  263,  268 

Wesley,  John,  The  Churchmanship  of,  223 

Wesley  (John),  Life  of;  and  rise  and  progress 
of  Methodism  (Southev),  267 

Wesley,  John,  Life  and  times  of  (Tyerman), 

222,  232,  269 

Wesley,  John,  Works  of,  224 
Wesley,  John  and  Charles: 

their   joint   publications,    229,    230,    231, 
232,  234 

their  undetermined  authorship,  230,  231, 
246 

the  hymn  tracts,  232-234 

obscurity  of  their  work,  256,  258 

compared  with  that  of  Watts,  257,  258 

general  ignorance  of  it  outside,  261 

"J.  C.  W.,"  261 
Wesley,  John  and  Charles,  Poetical  Works 

of,  227,  231,  235,  246 
Wesley,    John    and    Charles,    Works    of;    a 
Bibliography,  226,  229,  230,  236,  237, 
269,  281,  282 
Wesley,  Mehetabel,  221 
Wesley,  Samuel,  220,  221,  222,  224 

on  parochial  psalmody,  221 

Maggots,  220 

Life  of  our  blessed  Lord,  221 

Pious  Communicant,  221 

Athenian  Oracle,  221 

Advice  to  a  yomig  clergyman,  222 

Epistle  to  a  friend  on  poetry,  252 
Wesley,  Samuel,  Life  and  limes  of  (Tyer- 
man), 221 
Wesley,  Samuel,  jr.,  221,  224 
Wesley,  S.  S.,  521 
Wesleyan  Hymns,  the:  their  sources,  221, 

223,  224,  225,  227,  268 

as  connected  with  the  Revival,  229,  230, 

249 
as  connected  with  religious  history,  v,  244 
as  enlarging  the  body  of  hymns,  245 
as  affecting  the  ideal  of  the  hymn,  247- 

254 
as  affecting  hymn  singing,  220,  256 
as  affecting  hymn  writing,  254 
as  embodied  in  the  Collection  of  1780,  236 
as  ill  adapted  to  use  outside,  257 
as  slowly  gaining  any  such  use,  258,  259 
general  ignorance  of  them,  259-261 
their  relation  to  worship,  249 
as  a  manual  of  spiritual  discipline,  249 
as  related  to  revival  hymns,  248 
compared  with  Watts'  System  of  Praise, 

246,  252,  257 
Wesleyan  Methodism:  The  "New  Room," 

228 
"United  Society,"  229 
the  Revival.  229,  230 
the  schism  of  the  Calvinists,  232 
hymn  books  for  Methodists,  235 
Wesleyan  Hymnody  to  1904,  237 


624 


INDEX 


Methodist  Singing,  239,  242 

Methodist  tunes,  239,  240,  241 

Methodist  hymn  writers,  254 

Methodist  organs,  243 

as  a  connexion,  274 

Schisms  at  Wesley's  death,  274 

Wesleyan  Hymnal,  310 

Wesleyan  Hymnology  (Burgess),   246,   250, 
259 

Wesleyan  Methodist  Association,  278 

Wesleyan  Methodist  Connection,  310 

Wesleyan  Methodist  Hymnal,  310 

"Wesleyan  Music,"  294 

Wesleyan  Psalmist,  297 

Wesleyan  Reformers,  279 

Wesleyan  Sacred  Harp,  300 

West  Church,  Boston,  173,  174,  177 

West,  Robert  A.,  311 

Western  Revival,  294 

Westminster,  Mass.,  165 

Westminster  Assemtly,  60,  102;  Directory, 
178 

Westminster  Ahhey  Hymn  Book,  447 

Wharton,  C.  H.,  390,  393 

Wharton,  Francis,  545 

What's  it  all  about?  455 

Wheatley,  Charles,  56 

Wheatley,  R.,  301 

White,  G.  Cosby,  509 

White,  John,  164 

White,  Kirke.  436 

White,  William,  108 

White,  Bishop  William,  390-396,  399 

White,  William,  Life  of  (Ward),  393 

While,  William,  Memoir  of  (Wilson),  398 

Whitefield,  George: 

In  America,  163,  iSo,  182,  280,  3SS,  492 
his  admiration  for  Watts,   163,  316,  359 
starts  American  era  of  Watts,  359 
relations    with    Wesleys,    228,  232,    315, 

318,  358 
the  Calvinistic  leader,  315,  358 
relations  with  Lady  Huntingdon,  318,  319 
his  hymn  book,  318,  359 
his  influence  on  hymn  singing,  316, 

Whitefield,  George,  Life  of  (IVerman),  232, 
316,  317,319.  359 

Whitefield,  George,  Memoir  of  (Gillies),  359 

Whitefield,  George,  Works  of,  359 

Whiting,  William,  516 

Whitmarsh,  Caroline,  465 

Whitney,  F.  A.,  468 

Whittier,  J.  G.,  464,  579 

Whittingham,  William,  27,  28,  55 

Whittle,  D.  W.,  486 

Whole  Booke  of  Psalms  (1562),  28 
(Ravenscroft),  56,  76 
(Pla\'ford),  77 
(Prot.  Episc).  395 

Whytehead,  Thomas,  516 

Wiatts'  impartial  Selection,  294 

Widney,  S.  W.,  309 

Wigram,  J.  N.,  507 

Willard,  Samuel,  460,  464,  468 

William  and  Mary,  85,  390 

William  III,  48 

Williams,  Aaron,  169 

Williams  and  Boden's  Collection,  12S 

Williams,  Benjamin,  133,  140 

Williams,  Helen  M.,  140 

Williams,  Isaac,  495,  496,  499,  514 


Williams,  Isaac,  Autobiography  of,  49s 

Williams,  J.  B.,  86  «     ^    -^    ^'  "^^^ 

Williams,  John,  543:  William,  324 

Williams,  Mrs.  Theodore  C,  472 

Willison,  John,  149 

Williston,  Ralph,  413 

Wilson,  Bird,  398 

Wilson,  Frederick,  545:  J.  G.,  414 

Wilson,  J.  P.,  195 

Wilson,  W.,  8g,  123,  126 

Winchell,  J.  M.,  204,  362,  363 

Winchester,  C.  T.,  312 

Winchester,  Elhanan,  199,  367,  422,  423 

Windham  (tune),  170 

Winebrenner,  John,  369 

Wing,  C.  P.,  191 

Wink  worth,  Catherine,  507 

Wim2oived  Hymns,  301 

Wisdom,  R.,  31 

Wither,  George,  30,  31,  47,  65,  206,  251 

Wolfe,  A.  R.,  557 

Wonders  of  Grace,  213 

Wood,  N.  E.,  196,  197,  198:  W.,  133 

Wood  and  Carpenter  Abridgment  0/  Watts, 
133 

Woodbury,  I.  B.,  310 

Woodd,  Basil,  350,  351,  352,  354 

Woodford,  J.  R.,  517 

Woodford,  Samuel,  88 

Woodward,  G.  R.,  570 

Worcester,  Mass.,  165,  166,  464 

Worcester,  Samuel,  168,  374,  375 

Worcester,  Samuel,  Life  of,  168 

Worcester,  Samuel  M.,  168 

Worcester's  Watts'  and  select,  168,  383,  384, 
386,  389 

Wordsworth,  Christopher,  447,  516 

Wordsworth,  William,  435,  436 

Worship,  387,  572,  573,  587-S90 

Worship  and  Offices  of  the  Church  of  Scot- 
land, 35 

Worship  as  an  element  of  Sanctuary  Service, 
387 

Worship  in  Song,  479 

Worship  Song,  457 

Wreford,  J.  R.,  139,  141 

Wright,  Thomas,  331,  568 


Xavier,  543 

Y 

Yattendon  Hymnal,  448,  569 

Year  of  Praise  (Alford),  513 

Young  Man's  Meditation,  69 

Young  Man's  Monitor,  69 

York:  Archbishop's  Court,  355,  356,  357 

Young,  Brigham,  432 

Y.  M.  C.  A.,  483,  484,  48s,  490 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  Hymn  ami  Tune  Book.  483 

Young,  Thomas,  323 

Yule-tide,  19 


Zentler,  Conrad,  272 

Zinzendorf,   Count   L.  von,   225,   262,   263, 

264,  265,  266,  269,   271,  273,  323 
Zinzendorf,  Life  of  (Spangenberg),  264 
Zion  Songster,  296,  301 
Zion's  Harp,  376 
Zundel,  John,  474 
Zurich  Letters,  42 


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